


It's Gonna Be A Bumpy Ride

by TongueTiedRaven



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Family Feels, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gen, Ging is a Bad Parent, Happy Ending, Leorio POV, M/M, Minor Other Characters - Freeform, Neighbors, Parental Leorio Paladiknight, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Some Suspense, Stalker, gon is living with leorio, medical student leorio paladiknight, teacher kurapika, tired leordio paladiknight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:34:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 54,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26496466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TongueTiedRaven/pseuds/TongueTiedRaven
Summary: Leorio hated his cousin, Ging. He was a failure of a dad and couldn’t be bothered to watch his own kid for more than three minutes. It was Leorio’s turn to watch the kid now and it wasn’t like he was going to say no. Gon had no where else to go. He could at least let the teen bum on his couch for a few days.He did not anticipate Gon’s incredible ability to talk to anyone, including his strange and stoic neighbor with the creepy murder kid. He could have done with out the crazy clown and the mafia drama but, hey, anything for family. (Plus that neighbor is cute when he’s not contemplating murderous revenge.)
Relationships: Gon Freecs & Kurapika & Leorio Paladiknight & Killua Zoldyck, Gon Freecs & Leorio Paladiknight, Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck, Kurapika & Killua Zoldyck, Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight, Leorio Paladiknight & Killua Zoldyck
Comments: 716
Kudos: 1167





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from "Bumpy Ride" by The Hoosiers

It was all Ging’s fault, the bastard. Leorio had _never_ liked his cousin and now he hated him. The man was a bum. He had no concept of responsibility or honor. And, yeah, Leorio might have been a little over the top on the whole responsibility thing but that didn’t mean Ging wasn’t an utter bastard.

Leorio had never met someone as constantly irritating as Ging. The worst part was how long it even took you to realize the guy was a jackass. He came off as fun and interesting and somehow considerate for a short while and then after he’d ridden you for all you were worth you realized he was a bastard.

“It’ll only be a while.” Ging had said over the static-ridden connection like time was what Leorio was stressed about. His voice garbled out a moment while Leorio stood stiffly in his kitchen. Gon was asleep on his couch in the other room because currently that was all Leorio had for him to sleep on. What size bed did thirteen year olds need? Was a twin too small? What about blankets? He only had like, one extra blanket. He was a medical student for crying out loud. Money wasn’t exactly something he had a lot of. He was only here because of a scholarship.

“Can you stop moving?” He growled into his cellphone. “You’re breaking up and don’t think I don’t know that’s what you’re trying to do.”

“Look,” Ging sighed in a long-suffering manner that really made Leorio want to climb through the phone and throttle him, “Mito can’t take him ‘cause Grandma Abe’s so sick. Kids are germ factories.”

Leorio pressed his palm flat against his counter to keep from hurling a cereal box. “It isn’t her job to take him, you punk.” He snapped in reply. Mito had raised Gon since he was a toddler and his mother had died. She’d been there for him in a way no one else had. Leorio hung out and tried to help where he could but she was the one who housed, clothed, and fed the kid.

He slipped out of his kitchen and peered around the corner. Gon was still fast asleep, thankfully. He had his long legs draped over the arm of the couch and his arms were wrapped around his chest. He looked gangly and young. Vulnerable. Leorio needed to find him a blanket. He retreated back into the kitchen and continued.

“It’s _your_ job to watch your son.” He exhaled noisily as Ging made some reply he couldn’t decipher. “Whatever. I don’t want to hear your lame excuses. They’re insulting and frankly they’re just pissing me off. I’m going to take care of him because he’s my family and that’s what family is supposed to do.” He paused while Ging gushed some insincere platitude. “However,” He said as darkly as he could, “I’m done with you. I don’t want to hear from you again. You are a failure as a human and a father. If I ever see you again I’m punching you in your damn face.” He hung up the phone and dropped it on the counter before he did something reckless like throw it against a wall. He really couldn’t afford to break it. 

He walked over to the sink and grabbed the rim as tightly as he could. He wanted to scream but he couldn’t afford to wake his neighbors up. None of them were forgiving. The blond who lived in the apartment next to his was the sternest person Leorio had never really met. He’d lived here for four years and had about ten minutes worth of conversation in that time. 

The blond would call the cops on him. 

Leorio released his white knuckle grip on the sink and shook his hands out. He had to focus. 

Okay. He had a 13 year old kid for the foreseeable future. It was the middle of spring so Gon had school. Today was….

He drew a blank and looked up at his microwave to see 11:43 shining back at him. He couldn’t understand why he thought there would be a date on there. He really needed some sleep.

He turned his phone on to see that it was Thursday for another fifteenish minutes. Okay. Gon would have school tomorrow. His aunt had packed him three bags. She was responsible so his school stuff was probably in one of them. He just needed to make sure the kid had food. Did he need a ride? Was there a bus?

Oh god, he was not ready for this responsibility. He didn’t even have real food. He had a box of shredded wheat, half a gallon of milk, two packets of microwave ramen, and an apple that probably had a family of worms living in it by now. He’d have to go to the store tomorrow. You couldn’t just feed a kid take out… could you?

He pushed off the counter and walked back to the living room.

“Leorio?”

He jumped at least a foot in the air and very nearly screamed. Gon was sitting up and looked confused.

“Hey, Gon.” He managed after a moment. He realized he’d pressed his hand to his heart like an old person and promptly dropped it.

“Was that dad?” Gon’s eyes were so damn big. They made him look innocent and naïve and damn it! Leorio was not having that conversation right now.

“Yep. Go to bed. It’s basically midnight. You have school tomorrow, right?”

Gon nodded absently and rubbed his eyes. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I wanted to talk to him.”

Unfortunately Ging hadn’t wanted to talk to Gon because Ging was basically the worst human being on the planet. He could understand accidental pregnancies a few decades ago when birth control options were harder to get but there was no real excuse now. Ging was wealthy. It wasn’t like money had been a problem. Leorio also knew his deadbeat cousin’s story. They’d been _trying_ for a kid for godssake!

He exhaled to try and control his temper and offered Gon a smile he hoped looked sincere. This was another reason he hated Ging. Everyone else had to clean up his mess and try and make him not look like the worse of all humans because they didn’t want the sunshine to leave Gon’s face. He’d never really understand why Gon seemed to idolize his dad.

“Sorry bud,” he apologized, “I didn’t want to wake you. Next time?” Gon shrugged.

“’Kay.” Honey colored eyes studied Leorio for a moment. He had no idea what the teenager was thinking. Though, he kinda doubted anyone knew what Gon was thinking from one moment to the next.

“Are you okay in here for the night? We’ll get you a mattress tomorrow.” Maybe he would luck out and one his classmates would have an air mattress they’d be willing to sell him for cheap.

“This is fine.” Gon replied with that same wide eyed stare that Leorio couldn’t read.

“Okay.” He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Then… Let me get a blanket for you.” He went down the hallway towards his bedroom and grabbed his spare quilt off the foot of his bed. He brought it and his spare pillow back for the teenager. Gon took it with a quiet ‘thank you.’

Leorio stayed up far too late staring at his ceiling and stressing.

* * *

They had a breakfast of cereal and then rushed out of the house. He’d had to lock the door three times because he kept. Forgetting. Things. Gon forgot his back pack, Leorio forgot his briefcase and then the car keys. He gave Gon the spare key to his apartment and drove like a crazy person to get him to school on time. The teenager told him he’d find a ride back after school since Leorio would have to work until six. 

He cashed in three extreme favors and managed to switch his night shifts to next week and found a friend who had a spare air mattress they'd let him have if he agreed to watch their dog over spring break. He got a new paper assignment and he realized he’d left his lunch at home.

He swung by the store on his way home and bought a few necessities. He’d spent most of his free time obsessively going over his budget and schedule and he should have enough to buy extra groceries so long as nothing happened until the end of the month. 

Hilda was due for an oil change but Leorio was sure the old car could hold it together for a while longer. It wasn’t like he drove that much.

He pat the steering wheel and whispered a few pleas to Hilda to hold herself together until next month before he climbed out and popped the trunk. He grabbed as many bags as he could and then found a way to shove the last two into his grip. He shut and locked the trunk and jogged up the steps to his apartment. The door to Hisoka’s apartment was open and he very carefully did _not_ look in. No one made that mistake more than once. 

Leorio stopped in front of his door and played a pointless game of juggle before he acknowledged that he couldn’t get his keys out and hold the groceries. He set the bags in his left hand on the ground and pulled his key out of his coat pocket. He shoved them in the door and unlocked the deadbolt. He pushed the door open, grabbed his key out, picked the groceries back up, and walked in. He shut the door behind himself with his foot and shuffled to the kitchen. He unceremoniously dumped the bags on the floor and shoved his keys back in his pocket.

“Gon!” Leorio called as he went back to the front door and locked it. He got back to the kitchen before he realized there hadn’t been an answer. He peered around the kitchen wall. “Gon? Whatcha want for dinner? Pizza? Ramen?”

He could defrost some green beans either way and make it a mostly balanced diet. Kids liked green beans, didn’t they? Whatever. It was what he had. 

Leorio grabbed the nearest bag and started to unpack the bananas in it. 

"Gon?"

The first tentacles of alarm uncurled in Leorio’s stomach as he set a loaf of bread on his counter. It was quiet in his apartment. He could hear a muffled variety of voices and music coming from his neighbor’s apartment that was likely a television but his own apartment was silent.

Leorio darted across the living room/dining room combination and towards the back bedroom and bathroom. He shoved his bedroom door open but the room was empty. He spun on his heel and stumbled to his bathroom door. He wrenched it open but it was empty as well. 

Gon wasn’t here.

“Gon!” He screeched his cousin’s name like a demented banshee and bolted back to the kitchen. He slipped on the bag he’d tossed earlier and went flailing into his stove. He fumbled for his phone and managed to pick it up after two attempts. He got it unlocked and pulled up Gon’s number.

He brought the phone to his ear and impatiently tapped his fingers against the stove top. He’d had Gon for some twenty hours and he’d already lost him. Fantastic. Leorio was winning all the awards for responsible guardian. 

The phone rang and rang and then he heard Gon’s voice.

_Hi! This is Gon! Sorry I couldn’t answer your call! Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!_

“Gon? Where are you? Call me back!”

Did thirteen year olds listen to their voice mail? Gon probably only had it set up because his (worthless, useless, stupid, asshole, BASTARD) father called in the dead of night so he wouldn’t have to actually talk to his son.

He was calling the number unsuccessfully for the third time when he heard his irritating doorbell ring. The high pitched buzz blasted through the apartment and made him drop his phone in the empty sink. He pulled it back up, ended the call, and rushed for the door.

Leorio yanked it open with a scowl. “Gon! Wher-”

His next door neighbor was standing in front of him with an utterly irritated scowl. “Must you always be so loud, Leorio?”

The young man had on worn jeans and an old blue t-shirt that was covered in bits of paint. He had a back pack on his shoulder, and what looked like glue in his hair. He was rocking the I’m-a-kindergarten-teacher look hard. Leorio had never understood _why_ the stoic man was a kindergarten teacher because he had never met someone who seemed less likely to like children. He was strict about rules and structure and had bickered with Leorio about all sorts of things, including the way he used his porch. (He didn’t care if his flowers were invasive. They were pretty.)

“Kurapika? Sorry, but now is a terrible time.”

The short blond raised a thin and unimpressed eyebrow. “Why? Because you’ve lost something?”

Leorio hadn’t actually stopped talking. “I’ve got food cooking and I’m looking for my-” He paused and registered the stoic man’s words. “Something? How do you know that?” His eyes narrowed suspiciously. Kurapika looked tired and like Leorio was the last person he wanted to see. 

“Honestly, Leorio, I could parrot most of your conversations back to you. You’re unreasonably loud. However, I know about Gon because he is currently in my apartment playing video games on my tv with Ki-with my brother.”

“What?”

The blond was staring at him like Leorio was a disappointment to humanity. It was a bit much coming from someone covered in finger paint and wearing a Dora the explorer backpack. 

“How is Gon related to you?”

“Hey!” He tugged the door all the way open and propped his hands on his hips like an indignant old person. “I’ll have you know he takes more after my side of the family than his dad!” That bastard.

Kurapika grabbed his head and didn’t seem to mind that he’d smeared some paint across his forehead. 

“Can you just retrieve him? He’s a delight, I assure you, but I need you to stop yelling and I have a lesson plan to make for tomorrow.”

“Lesson plan?” He scoffed as he followed the blond back to his apartment. “For kindergartners?” 

Kurapika glared and tugged his door open. He motioned for Leorio to enter so he did. It was a lot nicer than his apartment. Everything was tastefully decorated in a contemporary style with an abundance of grays, whites, and blues. It was minimalist and clean and didn’t feel particularly lived in. Everything was in its place and the room smelled like lemon.

“Continue through. They’re in my brother’s room.”

Leorio could faintly hear a tv so he went towards that sound. He reached a door that had a poster for a band he didn’t recognize and Kurapika reached around him to open it up.

“K, we’re here.” The blond called before pushing the door open. 

It was a small bedroom but it was packed with personality. The walls were a bright blue and covered in posters for bands and movies and games. He recognized a few of them but not many. There was a bookshelf loaded with colorful books and action figures and a desk covered with homework that was haphazardly stacked. There was an older tv with a switch attached and the two teens were perched in front of it with three different bowls of snacks between them. Gon had a bag of chips in his lap while the white haired teen was surrounded by chocolate wrappers.

“Hey, Leorio!” Gon called cheerfully over the sound of Mario Kart. “How was school?”

“Is that the old man?” The white haired teen asked in a bored tone. 

“He’s my cousin!” Gon responded cheerfully over Leorio’s indignant squawk. “Leorio, this is Killua!”

Killua. That was the first time he’d heard the kid’s name. Kurapika made a hissing noise like an upset snake and Killua’s eyes darted to him. Gon didn’t notice and continued his race. Leorio wasn’t surprised to see he’d picked Yoshi. 

“Nice to meet you, kid. Gon, we have to go back.”

Killua looked up at Leorio with pale blue eyes and a hint of a frown. It made him shiver for some reason. It was a gaze that didn’t belong on someone so young. It was far too calculating and aware.

Gon nodded like he’d expected that. “Can I finish my race first?” 

Leorio didn’t see any reason not to and he didn’t want to upset Killua. Something about the kid was a little creepy.

“Uh, sure. Would you rather pizza or ramen for dinner?”

“Pizza!” 

He could feel Kurapika looking at him judgingly and it made Leorio want to stick his tongue out at the blond. He settled for nodding and getting out of the apartment instead. He could feel everyone but Gon watching him exit. Something told him he was about to see more of his neighbors than he really wanted to.

Why did Gon have to be so talkative and friendly?

(Stupid Ging.)


	2. Chapter 2

It took Gon the twenty minutes for the oven to heat up and the pizza to cook to come back over and he was all smiles by the time he got there. 

Leorio was drumming his fingers against the kitchen counter while he tried to memorize the newest list of diseases he needed to learn and not self-diagnose. 

(His chest hurt from stress, not Brugada. He had bad eyesight from genetics, not Bietti's crystalline dystrophy.)

“Leorio!” Gon greeted in his too cheerful manner. It would be annoying if Gon wasn’t so earnest in everything. You felt like he was genuinely excited to see you and darn it if it didn’t make Leorio happy to see him. “That smells great!”

Leorio grunted in response and passed him a plate. They loaded their plate with the pizza and some over cooked green-beans and retreated to the living room. 

“Do you have homework?”

“It’s friday,” Gon laughed. “Who does their homework on  _ friday? _ ”

Leorio glanced at the pile of books and assignments on his table and tried not to look disgruntled. “People who don’t want to fall behind.”

Gon shrugged. “School is whatever.” 

Leorio slumped a little and took an angry bite of green beans. 

“Do you know Killua?” Gon shoved half a slice of pizza in his mouth and looked at Leorio like whatever he said was going to be the single most interesting thing he’d ever heard. 

“Not really. He moved in a few years ago and they’re not talkative.” 

“He’s really cool. He’s got a skateboard and he can do all sorts of tricks. He promised to show me some and he has a huge videogame collection.”

Leorio hummed noncommittally and ate a few mushy green beans. He swallowed and realized he should probably ask a few more questions. That was something parents did. (Right?)

“How was school? Learn anything interesting?”

Gon shrugged. “Not in class. I did find out that Killua’s homeschooled.”

Leorio’s eyes shot to the wall he shared with Kurapika and Killua. “Homeschooled? Really?” 

“Yeah! He’s really interesting. Can I go back over tomorrow and play games?” 

“Get Kurapika’s permission first. He’s specific about his schedules.” He didn’t see a problem with Gon hanging out with Killua. The kid was weird and spent way too much time locked up in that apartment. He didn’t know the full story but he had a feeling Killua could use a friend. Plus… Leorio would  _ never  _ admit it but something about the teen’s gaze had creeped him out. There was a determination in his pale eyes that made him think of some of the…

Well. It reminded him of late nights in the IC unit. You got all types on those long nights and some of the people who were bleeding all over the floor were not the type of people you wanted to meet alone. Leorio wasn’t exactly prone to worrying but it reminded him a little too much of the poor and desperate area he had grown up.

He didn’t know the full story but it unnerved him. 

“Did you hear me?” Gon waved a hand in front of his face and tilted his head curiously. 

“Huh?” Leorio blinked dumbly and realized his forkful of green beans had fallen onto the carpet. He didn’t have any more carpet cleaner. Hopefully that didn’t stain.

Gon sat back on his heels and continued to stare. “Can Killua come over here if Kurapika says no?”

That was a terrible idea. He had to write a paper and finish his homework and study the new lists and talk with Mito. He needed to get more info on how long this would be. 

He studied his green haired cousin for a moment and stabbed some more green beans. An idea occurred to him and he could almost feel a lightbulb go off over his head.

“If you finish your homework.”

Gon’s nose wrinkled. 

* * *

Leorio got up later than he meant to and fixed himself a bowl of cereal. Gon was already up and playing on Leorio’s old Nintendo 64. He was playing Yoshi on his version of Super Smash Bros. He had a half eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a paper towel next to him and a few pages of half-heartedly scribbled math notes. 

Leorio made a mental note to show Gon how to actually take notes. He played a few rounds of Smash Bros with his cousin, which he lost dramatically because Gon cheated. (He couldn’t prove it but there was no way he could lose that dramatically unless Gon was cheating.)

Gon went over to Kurapika’s at around noon and spent the rest of the afternoon over there. Leorio could occasionally hear their tv and laughter from the neighboring apartment. He tried not to feel too amused at the thought of Kurapika having to put up with the loud volume.

They had ramen for dinner and went over Gon’s math homework. His cousin was utterly useless at math. He had completed his english and science homework at some point and he was happy to see that the answers were correct.

Sunday started the same and he almost won a round of Smash Bros. (It was humiliating to be beaten so many times by  _ Yoshi. _ )

He had to go into the hospital for a shift at the ICU and that was when his day turned for the worse.

The ICU was never a  _ fun _ place to work but some days it was just horrible. Leorio wanted to go into general medicine and he wanted to heal and help but on days like this the ICU beat him down until he felt like his ambitions were futile. 

Night always brought on the worse cases because people got drunk, or high, or mugged, or murdered far more frequently in the dark. You fixed what you could as quickly as you could and you tried to be kind and positive and not let the bad stuff get to you.

But today… today had gotten to him. It was a kid and, damn it all, it had been curable. If they had been earlier. If they had known. If the parents hadn’t been scared because there was no insurance.

If. If. If.

It was always an if. One of these days he’d have his own practice, Leorio told himself, and those ifs would no longer matter.

He trudged up the steps wearily and promptly stopped as he neared the top. 

Hisoka was standing outside of his apartment in his white suit with his face made up and his hair gelled back and  _ Gon was talking to him. _

The teen was holding a box and laughing about something while Hisoka smiled down at him like he was something adorable and naive. Parental instincts Leorio had not previously been aware of flared to life, loudly, and demanded he get his cousin away from the dangerous and mildly crazy man. 

(Hisoka left early every week day and got back in the afternoon. He often left in the dead of night and Leorio was certain he’d once seen the man come back with an unconscious man draped over his shoulder like a sack of flour.)

“Leorio!” His cousin called cheerfully. “Hisoka has a cat!”

Leorio did not care what weirdness Hisoka had in his apartment. He could have an entire litter of puppies and kittens and it would still not make Leorio comfortable with Gon standing so close to his door. 

“That’s nice.” He managed as he jogged up the final steps and got directly behind Gon. His hand latched onto Gon’s shoulder and tugged the teen back a step away from Hisoka and his tooth filled smile. He tried not to make his grip painfully tight but he was too tense to have much control over it. 

“Mmm, yes, her name is Machi and she’s an absolute menace.” Hisoka purred and twirled a lock of almost fuschia hair around his finger. His eyes dragged down Leorio’s body and his lips twitched up into a smirk that was uncomfortable. He could never tell if the man actually thought he was attractive or if he just liked making Leorio uncomfortable. Hell, it could even be both.

“Great.” He managed in a tight voice. “Machi. Fun.” He couldn’t seem to get more than one word out at a time. He tugged Gon again and his cousin looked a little confused. “We gotta go. Dinner. Bye.” He gave talking up as a bad job and stepped back, dragging his cousin with him.

Hisoka nodded and propped a manicured hand with dangerously long nails on his hip. “Of course. You always eat at six-thirty when you’re home. Ta ta for now.” He turned his attention to Gon and the smile spread. “I’ll see you soon, Gon. You simply must come over and see Machi.”

Gon beamed. “Great!”

He dragged his cousin away and got his apartment door unlocked as quickly as he could. He blocked Gon’s body with his own while he got the door unlocked and tried to ignore the eyes he could feel were still on them. 

He shoved Gon into the apartment, shut his door and promptly locked it. He wasn’t going to think about Hisoka knowing when he ate dinner. 

“Did you go in that apartment?” Leorio asked when he realized he’d been leaning against the door for about forty seconds without saying anything. 

“Hisoka’s? Nah.” Gon shrugged like it wasn’t anything. “He’s a little strange but I really like cats. He came home while I was exploring the dog park and we started talking.”

Gon had apparently never met a stranger in his life. Leorio could understand him getting chummy with Killua even if the kid creeped Leorio out. He could even understand him getting chummy with Kurapika. The teacher seemed mostly normal if not a little stoic.

But what kind of kid got buddy buddy with  _ Hisoka? _ The dude wore ‘stranger danger’ like it was some kind of aesthetic. Everything about him said ‘I will kidnap children and have dissected puppies.’ (Leorio was  _ not _ paranoid. Hsoka was creepy. You could ask anyone. Surely even Kurapika would agree.)

Apparently he was going to have to add ‘talk about stranger danger’ to things he needed to do. Gon seemed to be missing a few basic safety filters in his brain. He loved his cousin’s fearlessness and eagerness but the world was not a fantastic loving, happy place.

“Are you okay?” The teen added after a moment. “You look tired.”

He winced and pushed off the door. “I’m fine. Gotta get dinner.” He dropped his bag by the door and went to the kitchen where he promptly swallowed two pain pills without water or food because he was a doctor (almost) and could do that.

They had instant ramen for dinner and Leorio decided he’d make Gon eat a salad or something for dinner tomorrow night. 

His cousin watched him through the entire meal and it made him uncomfortable and somehow guilty but Leorio was not going to explain that they’d lost a child during his shift. It wasn’t dinner conversation. Sometimes being an (almost) doctor sucked and you just had to get over it. 

Gon offered to do the dishes and Leorio cheerfully let him. He kept the smile in place as he crossed the apartment to his back door and tugged it open. He kept it right up to the point when he got the door shut again and had his back to the apartment. The smile fell of Leorio’s lips and he stared at the city spread out in front of him. The sun had set and the night was awash with lights. It was a sight he thought was pretty most times but on nights like these… it just felt lonely.

He huffed out a tired breath 

He leaned against his balcony and rested his head in his right head. His headache wasn’t going away and he wanted to sleep. 

Why was being an adult so draining? It was just constantly draining. Every time he thought he was getting a handle on things he was proven incredibly wrong. And it had to be a kid. It had to be pneumonia. It had to be so damned familiar.

“Are you in pain?”

He sprang upright at Kurapika’s very unexpected voice and found that the shorter blond was standing on his own deck and watering his numerous plants. He had a mildly wary look in his eyes like he was watching a timid animal that might behave irrationally.

Leorio tried a smile. “I’m fine. Just a headache.” He tried for a laugh. “You know how it is with college.” 

“I have pain killers if you need some.” 

He leaned back against the balcony and the smile came easily this time. “I’m fine. I already took a couple. Just trying to wait for them to kick in.” 

“Ah.” The blond straightened and set his watering can aside. “How is Gon? Have you received any updates about his grandmother?” 

Leorio could only feel a vaguely irritated amusement at this point. Of course Gon had told Kurapika about Grandma Abe. He’d probably told them his whole life story. The teen had zero filter. 

(What had he told Hisoka? Urgh.)

“Not yet. I’ll probably call for an update tomorrow. She had an appointment today.” His eyes trailed over the apartment across from them. The room directly across from his had always had it’s curtains drawn. Sometimes he wondered what went on in there. “Gon seems fine.” He offered a smile that almost felt sincere. “He’s hard to get down.”

Kurapika nodded and leaned against his own balcony. He was dressed in a loose linen shirt and didn’t have any paint on his face now. It did amuse Leorio to notice that there were some colorful stains on the cuffs of his shirt.

“He seems quite positive. K-my brother has certainly enjoyed his company.” 

“I found him talking to Hisoka tonight.”

“Hisoka?” The alarm in Kurapika’s voice was unmistakable and gratifying. He didn’t think he was alone in his unease with their… eccentric, neighbor. “Whatever for?”

“Apparently he has a cat.”

Kurapika’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know why that surprises me.”

“Because I’d expect any animal to have the sense to run away from that hot mess.”

Kurapika released a startled laugh and promptly covered his mouth to muffle the sound. Leorio sent a broad smile his way because he had never heard the other man laugh. It was a good laugh. Bright and unguarded. 

He couldn't quite help but release a small laugh of his own. "Yeah, he freaked me out." 

Kurapika leaned his back against his balcony rail. "I should imagine. My brother calls him the pervert." He rested his weight on his elbows and stared up at the ivy trailing over head. The blond looked strangely right among growing things.

“Well maybe he can teach that instinct to Gon because he seems to be missing it.”

Kurapika smiled softly. “He’s happy for the friend. There aren’t a lot of people his age here.”

Leorio shrugged. “I don’t think Gon knows there are strangers in this world.”

Kurapika’s smile faded a little. “No.” He pushed off the balcony and offered a flimsy smile. “I’ll see you later, Leorio. Enjoy your evening.”

Leorio watched the blond hurry back into the house and rubbed at his head. He felt like he’d just missed something and the headache wasn’t going away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be posting on Fridays :)
> 
> Holy _shit_ you guys! I did not expect such a large amount of feedback on this fic *tears*. I am so energized and excited and thrilled that apparently a lot of you are all about the found family thing and strongly dislike Ging. (He will not be painted well at any point. Screw Ging.)  
> Thank you so much for love and I will continue to do my best on this tale <3
> 
> Also, you can find me on Tumblr as tonguetiedraven. Feel free to chat with me over there :)


	3. Chapter 3

What do you know, Gon was an early riser. He seemed to be up the moment the sun was visible and he was energetic to boot. Leorio had never been a morning person. He tended to hit his stride in the middle of the day and he could typically hold onto it late into the night, depending on how much caffeine he’d managed to inhale. 

Gon had already fixed himself breakfast and lunch for the day by the time Leorio had showered and got dressed. He fixed his own breakfast and managed to get Gon out the door. Killua was standing outside his door in a hoodie and pajamas with fuzzy socks that looked like kittens. 

And the teen kept popping up around the apartment. He was there when Leorio got back. He was there after dinner. The two teens had a wrestling match in the living room and then had a race around the apartment complex after dinner. Kurapika had to come over at _midnight_ to get Killua to come back. 

Leorio had no control of himself. He didn’t even realize it was that late because he was scrolling through way too many medical journals trying to find a convincing argument for his paper. 

Killua was… A lot of things. He was sarcastic and wry and quick to offer a retort to anything. He called Gon ‘idiot’ quite regularly and he somehow made it sound like a nickname. He was also watchful. His eyes seemed to take everything in and he couldn’t help but feel like the teen was planning things. He’d watched Killua scan for all the possible exits the moment he entered the apartment. He’d squirreled away a fun size bag of chips when Gon wasn’t looking. He’d also made a point to sit nearer the exit and he’d stiffened when Leorio had walked past suddenly.

He didn’t like the signs. They were making him uncomfortable and he couldn’t really explain what was going. The teen was relaxed around Kurapika and seemed to really enjoy competing with and hanging out with Gon. 

He also would not stop calling Leorio ‘old man’ which was inaccurate and rude. The pale teen grinned mischievously every time he said it like he wanted to elicit a reaction. 

At the end of the visit he was left with more questions than when it had started. 

Gon informed him that Killua had been living with Kurpaika for two years and that he was pretty sure Hisoka was a stripper. 

That was a mental image Leorio was going to be stuck with now and he didn’t want it. He did not need to think about why the man regularly wore clown make up for his work. He needed to find a way to bleach his brain.

(Leorio could not stop thinking about it. There was no way out and the disturbing image was just merging with all the medical texts he was reading.)

Gon brought him a blanket and a cup of milk before curling up on the couch and watching some sort of anime rerun. Leorio didn’t pay much attention to what was going on with him until he realized it was almost two am. 

Gon had passed out at some point and had half fallen off the couch. Leorio pushed away from the desk and rubbed his eyes. He saved his document and stood up. His back hurt from being hunched over for so long and his eyes hurt. 

Leorio tip toed towards Gon and picked him up without much trouble. His back complained but he ignored it. He got the teenager to his blow up bed and deposited him on it with the extra blanket. He turned the tv off and went to his bed. 

He woke up to his damned alarm and took Gon to school. He did his rounds at the hospital and that was when he got the damned call from Ging.

He saw the caller id and he stared at it for at least three rings before he answered it. 

“Hey-”

He shoved himself in a maintenance closet to get away from the nosey nurses and orderlies. “What do you want?”

The industrial cleaner scent was strong enough to make his eyes water and there just wasn’t enough room for his lanky body.

“Did you hear from Abe?” Ging’s voice sounded like it was coming out of a trashcan. Leorio wanted to climb through the phone and strangle his cousin. The jackass was probably at some beautiful and exoctic location doing something exciting and completely reckless because, why not? Why bother doing responsible things and taking care of the people who depended on you?

“No I didn’t. What do you know?”

Ging shouted at something that he couldn’t understand. “She went for her tests.”

Why would she tell him that and not Leorio? What possible leap of logic led her to decide telling Ging was a good idea?

Ging didn’t continue. Leorio exhaled and tried to remind himself that he was at work and had to maintain his composure. “And?”

“It’s cancer.” Ging’s voice crackled and static punched through the line before fading. 

“What?!” Forget composure. Leorio was going to find a way to climb through the phone and _throttle_ his cousin. Who gave information like this? What kind of insanity was his life that this was happening? 

(Cancer? Abe was not a young woman. What type of cancer? What were her chances?)

“Yeah.” Ging garbled. “It’s curable or something so it’ll be okay. Main reason I’m calling is that Gon’s going to need to hang with you for longer than I thought.” 

“Listen you _asshole_ . I am not going to lecture you on the monster you’ve become because you should be flying your useless ass back here to support your mother and your _son_ during this. I am just going to tell you, if you do not call your son and break the new to him _yourself_ I swear to every deity out there that I will punch you in your fucking face the next time I see you. I will use every bit of my medical knowledge to make certain it hurts.” 

The door to the closet opened and a janitor blinked at him in surprise. He offered the man a very tense smile that felt like he was doing it entirely wrong. Meanwhile, Ging kept talking.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to reach him. He’s got school right now, doesn’t he? I’ve got a think in an hour so I won’t be available for long.”

The janitor reached around Leorio for the mop bucket. Leorio stepped aside as much as he could so the man could get it. 

“I’ll try before then but it probably won’t happen.” There was a burst of static. “I’ll call you back later and we can catch up. Bye!”

The janitor shut the door. Leorio waited exactly twenty two seconds before he screeched into his hands.

* * *

It was thyroid cancer and it was stage one which was pretty much the best scenario. Ging didn’t call his son and Leorio had to explain to his young cousin that his grandmother had cancer but that she was (pretty) likely to be okay.

He had to watch Gon’s bright smile fade away into worry and he had to dance around the fact that he’d talked to Ging. 

He tried to soften all the blows by splurging his budget (Hilda would have to wait an extra month for that oil change) and getting take out for dinner. It set them arriving home a little late and that led to the next traumatic part of his day.

Hisoka was outside his apartment once again with a tall, dark haired man. He had said man pressed against his door and he was making out with the man messily and had one hand diving into the man’s trousers while he fiddled with his doorknob. 

Being bi, he had no problem with gay relationships. He had a lot of problems with the way the men were going at it in the middle of the hall which made it hard to get to his own apartment, and he had a lot of problems with the way Hisoka was watching him as he walked by. It was a creepily excited gaze that made him want to run the other way. He strongly considered covering Gon’s eyes but he knew that would just make the curious teen all the more eager to see what was going on. He settled for trying to smile and then using his longer limbs to force Gon onward. He got his own door unlocked and shoved Gon inside.

“Who do you think that guy was?” Gon immediately asked.

Leorio resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall and just locked his door. 

“I haven’t seen him before. Probably his boyfriend.”

He turned around and lifted the takeout bag onto the counter. He pulled out the first container right as a knock sounded on his door.

His first thought was that Hisoka was going to be outside his door and wanted to get Gon. It was (probably) irrational but it was Leorio’s gut thought. 

He beat his cousin to the door and peered through the peephole as another mildly more frantic knock sounded. Kurapika was standing in front of his door with one hand covering the right side of his face so he couldn’t see whatever was going on at Hisoka’s apartment. 

Leorio unlocked the door and tugged it open. A litany of loud moans immediately assaulted his ears. He grabbed Kurapika’s arm and jerked him into the apartment and slammed his door shut. Kurapika took two steps into the room and turned around to look at him with wide, horrified eyes. 

“My god.” He murmured. Leorio nodded in agreement. Gon looked between them in mild confusion. 

“They were just kissing.”

Leorio gaped at his fourteen year old cousin and tried to ignore the sounds he could hear outside. “Gon, there’s kissing and then there’s going further. You should really only do that in your own places.” And not where your neighbors were forced to listen in and children could walk by.

“Bit of a prude?” Kurapika _teased_. Leorio turned his gape towards him.

“I am not!” 

Gon tilted his head curiously. “I’ve never seen you kiss anyone.” 

“I don’t tend to kiss in front of other people!” He crossed his arms over his chest and tried to ignore the warmth in his cheeks. “Why are you here?” He said it a bit more snippishly than he intended but Kurapika didn’t seem to notice. The blond just smiled primly and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out two letters and passed them to Leorio.

“I received some of your mail by accident.”

They were both nondescript envelopes. One had his address scrawled across the front in a very messy hand the other was typed on. Neither one had return addresses and one was missing postage.

He flipped the hand written one over and got it open. Inside was a _large_ number of bills and a small postcard. He was fairly certain who had sent him the letter and he was immediately taken with the strong urge to rip the shitty thing up and chuck it in the trash, money and all.

Sure enough, the postcard depicted a beautiful caribbean beach and had a few messy lines scribbled on the back.

_[Hope this helps! I know college has you low on resources. - Ging]_

He couldn’t feel what his face was doing but he knew it had to be bad because both the others were looking at him in mild alarm. He tried to smooth it out but wasn’t sure it was successful. He decided to distract himself with the other letter and shoved Ging’s angrily in his pocket.

Inside was a typed letter and two photos. He pulled the photos out and frowned. One was a picture of himself at the ICU checking the vitals of someone being carted in. The other was a picture of Gon and himself in their car. It was difficult to make him out in the car but Gon was in focus and laughing at something.

The letter was short and made him uneasy and confused. 

[ _We’re watching.]_

“Were these in your mail box?”

Kurapika nodded. “Yes, is something wrong?”

He shook his head. “Gon, wanna finish getting dinner set up? I want to update Kurapika-” he struggled for a moment before figuring out an excuse, “on Abe.”

Gon nodded and went to his cabinets. Leorio ushered Kurapika to the deck and shut the door. 

“Have you seen anyone weird poking around?” 

Kurapika’s expression morphed from mild amusement to something very serious. 

“Poking around? What do you mean?”

“Looking suspicious? I know we live next to Hisoka but has there been anyone else weird?”

Kurapika shook his head. “Gon and whatever playmate Hisoka has found are the only new faces I’ve seen around. Why do you ask?”

Leorio had exactly no reason to tell Kurapika anything and he wasn’t sure if this was something he could take to the police. It wasn’t really a threat even if it made him uncomfortable. 

“I, uh, I’m not sure. One of the letters was a little weird. It’s probably nothing but, uh, keep your eyes open?”

Kurapika studied him with eyes that looked a little red in the setting sun. “I always keep my eyes open.”

Leorio tried for another smile. “Of course.” He paused and tried to think of something to say when he noticed Gon was knocking on the kitchen wall. “What is he doing?”

Kurapika looked over his shoulder and raised an amused eyebrow. “Ah, yes. They discovered our walls are connected to each other. I believe they’re endeavoring to create a secret code of knocks.”

Leorio exhaled and tried to ignore the way his head was starting to hurt. “Well that’ll be fun.” He'd never be able to finish that paper now.

Kurapika smiled and it made his entire face look softer. "Probably."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are now having the actual plot start to make itself known. You'll find out Killua and Kurapika's backgrounds eventually, I promise :)


	4. Chapter 4

“Are you worried about something?” Kurapika asked after a moment of staring at Gon knock randomly. 

“Huh?”

The blond motioned towards the envelope in his hand. “Was it bad news?”

Leorio promptly shoved it in his pocket. The letter was far too big but he made it work. “Nah, nothing you need to worry about.” 

“It seemed to upset you.” 

“It’s nothing.” 

Kurapika’s gaze made it clear he didn’t buy that. Leorio offered him a smile that felt too big. He reached for the door and realized he’d forgotten to fill Kurapika in on the other matter.

“Oh, before we go back in. Gon’s grandmother has cancer.”

Kurapika looked utterly stricken. “Is she-”

He waved his hands. “It’s fine. Operable and all that. She shouldn’t have any complications.”

Kurapika peered into the apartment at Gon. The teen was leaning on the sink with a delighted smile. “Will he be staying with you longer?”

His own eyes darted to his cousin. He’d resumed his knocking with an almost giddy eagerness. He’d taken the news rather well, all things considered. Leorio hadn’t planned on keeping the teenager for more than a week. He didn’t mind though. He liked his cousin well enough and he couldn’t exactly send him back right now. Grandma Abe would need her rest. Gon, through no real fault of his own, would stress her out. He was chaotic and lively and she didn’t need all of that, even if his positivity would probably do her good. They'd work with phone calls and video chats for now until she was better.

“Yeah. I’m going to hold on to him for a while.” 

Kurapika nodded like that was what he expected. 

They went back inside and Gon eagerly showed Kurapika how far they’d gotten on their new knock language. It made no sense to Leorio but Kurapika seemed to understand it. That or he was a better faker than Leorio. Kurapika left at that point and they devoured their dinner through a steady stream of knocks that was _not_ bothering Leorio. 

(It was nothing. He could handle it.)

The only good part about the knocks (It didn’t help that it made him think of Ging. He’d make up an annoying language like that) was that it thoroughly distracted his cousin. Leorio set the pictures on his table and stared at them with a pronounced frown. He could really only think of two options. 1) Police. 2) Ignore it. 

There were obvious problems with both. The first was that he didn’t really think he had anything for a real case. They’d probably give him the ‘we’ll look into it’ spiel and nothing would happen. The second, well… It wasn’t really an option. Doing nothing was a great way for bad things to happen. With his utter lack of luck this entire thing was probably connected to Ging. His (bastard) cousin had probably pissed the wrong person off. If that was the case then maybe Leorio could reason with them. Hell, he’d help them find the jackass. 

(He wouldn’t but it was fun to pretend he would.)

So… He’d have to find a time to do that tomorrow. At least he got to turn the paper in and finally knock that shit off his list. 

Gon plopped into the seat in front of him. “What’s that?”

“Uh.” He blinked unintelligently. Gon smiled easily and picked the picture of the ER up. 

“Is this you at work?” He questioned.

“Yep.”

“Wow, he looks really beat up.” 

Gon had a way of saying things in such a blatant way. It always seemed to wiggle past his guard. He was so sincere in everything he did.

“What about this one?” The teen snatched the other picture up and squinted. “Hey, it’s us!” He smiled toothily but it quickly faded away to something more baffled. “Wait, who took the picture?”

Leorio had a moment of utterly blind panic. His lips were still stretched in an unconvincing smile and his eyes had widened so he probably looked like a maniac. 

Parents weren’t supposed to stress kids out but he couldn’t let Gon just walk around unsuspecting. If there was something dangerous he needed to be on alert. He eyed his cousin calculatingly. 

“I don’t know. Someone mailed them to me.” 

Gon’s easy smile slipped away. His brow furrowed in bewilderment. “Huh?”

“It’s probably just a prank but… Just in case, keep your eyes open, ‘kay?”

Gon’s gaze dropped back to the pictures. “Weird prank.”

Leorio blew out a worried breath. “Yeah.” 

* * *

He stopped by the police station (it took him longer than he felt it should to find) and opened a report the next day.

It was the most surreal experience. He felt vaguely like a criminal just being in the station even though he’d done nothing wrong and he was dressed in scrubs. The officers were mostly polite but he got the feeling nothing was likely to happen. The entire thing felt utterly futile. 

It didn’t help that they kept looking at him like he was overreacting.

He got home after a long day of less than awesome rounds and just spent a few minutes sitting in Hilda. He had a lot of reading to do. The house needed to be cleaned, dinner needed to be made, he had to do his homework, and… 

He had to spend sometime with Gon. He’d need to check how his homework was coming along. The teen was terrible at math. Leorio was responsible for him _and_ his grades.

He pushed the car door open and climbed outside with a stretch that popped his back. He was too young to be this tightly wound.

He trudged up the steps and saw Hisoka once again standing outside his apartment. The tall, bright haired man was trying to get in his apartment and, unless Leorio was mistaken, he was bleeding.

“Hisoka?” And hey, that was a lot more alarm than he meant to inflict in his tone. Every doctor flag he had in his body was waving in utter alarm. 

“Oh, hello, Leorio.” Hisoka purred in the most fake cheerful voice Leorio had heard from him. “Beautiful evening, isn’t it?”

He couldn’t stop the sputter. “What happened?” The stripper had a deep gash across his cheek and it looked like his blood had mixed with his makeup. He wanted to grab the man and wash his face off before that wound could get infected. 

“Oh this,” Hisoka waved an uncaring hand at his face. “It’s nothing. Just a scuffle.”

Leorio had gotten closer. It was a fairly deep cut. It needed stitches. “Hisoka, that’s not nothing. That’s a big something.” 

Hisoka’s lips spread in a large, predatory smile. “Why, Leorio, are you _worried?_ ”

“I’m a doctor.” (Almost.) “And that could get infected. You need stitches.” 

Hisoka’s tongue darted over to the corner of his cheek and licked up a little of the blood there. Leorio’s stomach turned in disgust. 

“Don’t worry, _Leorio_. I can handle it myself.” 

Why was he even bothering. “Of course.” He rolled his eyes and stepped away from the creepy clown. “Bye.” He stomped towards his own apartment but… He couldn’t leave it there. Damn it. 

He stomped back and shoved a small tube of liquid bandages from his bag into the clown’s hand. “At least use this if you won’t go to the doctor.”

Hisoka took the proffered tube and closed his long, pale, fingers around it. He had dangerously long nails that he’d painted purple. 

He turned around before Hisoka could say anything else and rushed into his own apartment. 

“Gon!” He dropped his bag on the side table and tugged his top off. He toed off his shoes and dropped them in his box. 

“Gon?” He tried again as he trudged towards his room. He dropped his dirtied scrubs next to the bed and pulled out a pair of sweat pants. It was slouchy but he was tired and no one was around to care. 

“Gon!” _Why_ did his cousin keep wandering off? Leorio had just told him to be careful.

(That was like telling a golden retriever not to fetch. There were just certain things people couldn’t be.)

He shuffled out of the bedroom with an old band shirt and into the kitchen. It was, unsurprisingly, empty. He tugged the fridge open while he was in there and peered at the groceries. He didn’t have much left. He’d have to go shopping again. He was going to have to dip into the money Ging had sent. (Bastard.)

Of course. 

Whatever. He’d use it on Gon. It was the closest that failure of a human being would get to actually being there for Gon. 

He shut his fridge, a little harder than he needed to, and went back to his bag. He spent a moment fishing his phone out and thumbed it on. No missed calls. No messages. Several emails because his professors were monsters. Leorio ignored them all because he didn’t want to see what changes or assignments were coming. He pulled up Gon’s contact and dialed it. 

RING

His eyes shot to the counter where his cousin’s phone lit up. A bouncy beat filled the air that was vaguely familiar. It rang through the empty apartment as his stomach dropped. He’d lost him again.

Okay. No reason to panic. (Fuck!) It was probably fine. It wasn’t the first time he’d lost Gon. So what if the teen left his phone? (Fucking fuck! What was that moron thinking?!)

He swiped the phone up and shoved it into his pocket along with his own. It took him three steps to get back to his door and a few fumbled attempts to unlock the door. He slipped out of the apartment and looked around. Hisoka wasn’t outside so at least he didn’t have to continue that conversation. 

He spun on his heel and rapped his knuckles against Kurapika’s door. He tried not to fidget while he counted to ten in his head. He got to five before the door opened. 

Kurapika’s hair was pulled back from his face by a red headband and he had flour on his cheeks. He was wearing a dark blue shirt and jeans with a red apron thrown over top. His eyes widened and a look of utter panic flashed across his face.

“Leorio! You’re early!” He stepped to the side and motioned for Leorio to step inside.

“Early?”

Kurapika nodded. “I thought I had another half hour before you’d arrive. Gon made it sound as if you wouldn’t be done with your shift until then.”

“I got out early.” He’d had to file the police report which got him out early. He’d had to trade shifts. He’d have to work midnight to five twice next week. Whoop de-do. “What’s going on?”

Kurapika craned his neck to peer up at him. “Oh. Gon didn’t inform you, did he?”

“No? He’s here?” Relief flooded his body and he felt himself slump a little with relief. 

Kurapika nodded and motioned for him to come in again. He did and once again was thrown off by how _clean_ it was. The blond promptly closed and locked the door. The short man seemed to notice his dirty apron at that point and promptly tried to dust it off. Leorio’s lips quirked up in a small smile at the sight and that’s when _he_ realized he was in sweats and an old shirt. He looked like a slob. 

“Sorry about the confusion.” Kurapika walked past him (was he blushing?) and towards the back where Killua’s room was. “Gon came over early. He’s with Killua.”

Figured. His cousin probably got excited and distracted. At least they weren’t knocking right now. He’d heard that sound in his dreams. 

“Sorry about that. I know you’ve got those lesson plans to make.” Leorio could hear the excited sounds coming from the teen’s room even if he couldn’t understand what they were saying. Kurapika knocked twice and waited a beat. 

“Killua?”

“Come on in, Pika!”

Kurapika pushed the door open and peeked inside. Leorio stuck his head in. Gon was standing up on the bed with a pillow in his hands while Killua was at the other side of the room with what looked like a nerf gun. 

“Leorio!” Gon cheered.

“Hey, old man.” Killua greeted. Leorio rolled his eyes and tried to squash his irritation. 

“Gon,” he pulled the teen’s cellphone out and waved it, “you forgot this.”

Gon frowned. “Oops?” He tried. 

“Gon,” Killua huffed. “Idiot.”

Leorio felt that tone in his soul. It was fond and utterly exasperated. Gon jumped off the bed and shuffled towards him sheepishly. Leorio passed him his phone. 

Killua watched him with those studious eyes. “You like Heaven’s Arena?”

He glanced down at his ragged tee and tried not to blush. “Yeah. They, uh, were my favorite band when I was younger.” They still were. 

Killua nodded and his gaze softened. “Nice.”

A timer went off in the kitchen and Kurapika jolted to alert. “Oh,” he murmured and rushed away, “the buns!”

Leorio watched him go and noticed that he had two purple butterfly clips in his hair. They looked like they belonged to a toddler. It weirdly fit the blond. He watched him go all the way out of the room (the blond shuffled his socked feet along the floor like he'd rather be sliding) before he turned his attention back to Gon. His cousin was studying him curiously. It made him uncomfortable and he wasn’t really sure why. It felt like he'd been caught doing something.

“Come on,” he encouraged, “we’ve got to go and get started on our own dinner.”

“Gon,” Killua sighed and rolled his pale eyes, “you didn’t tell him, did you.” Gon shook his head sheepishly. Killua crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head towards Leorio with that too observant gaze. “You’re eating with us. Pika invited you both and everything.”

Leorio’s mouth popped open in utter confusion. He had no idea what was happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to keep updating this on Fridays, by the way.
> 
> These two are determined to be slow burn, darn it. I wanna get to the fluff but, alas, plot calls. Also, a wild Hisoka makes another appearance. I haven't decided if we're ever going to see the inside of the _*drum-roll*_ apartment at some point. 
> 
> I will continue to shove these four onward in development because, darn it, found family is my jam.


	5. Chapter 5

Gon ran off to help Kurapika with dinner while Leorio stood there gaping like a fish. Killua watched him for all of thirty seconds before snorting.

“What is it?” The teen asked with a smirk that fit his face far too well.

Leorio managed to close his mouth for a moment. “Dinner? Why?”

Killua raised an amused eyebrow. “Verbose aren’t you? Because Pika wanted to. Ask him. I don’t know why he decided to do it. Pretty sure he told Gon about it last night.”

Leorio tried not to let his annoyance show. He wasn’t sure why- there was no hint of it in the boy’s posture- but he was pretty sure that Killua was lying about something, but he’d be damned if he had any idea what about.

There didn’t seem to be anything to lie about in the statement. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time Gon forgot to mention something.” He rubbed his forehead and tried to get rid of the pain that was trying to shove its way into his head.

Now that Leorio knew he was going to be staying for dinner he was aware of the numerous scents in the air. (And how empty his stomach was. He’d had to skip lunch for the trip to the police Station. That probably helped the headache.) It smelled good and he could feel his stomach grumbling for it.

“Why’d you take Gon in?”

The non sequitur took him entirely off guard. No one had asked that question and he certainly didn’t expect it from a teen. 

“He’s my cousin.”

Killua raised that perfectly shaped eyebrow again. “So I’ve heard. That’s not a reason to take him in.”

Something about the teen’s tone nettled Leorio. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the much shorter teen. “He’s my family. Of course I’d take care of him.” He loved Gon, even if he could be exasperating. 

Killua appeared frustrated with his response. “So?” There was no escaping those eyes. They held him in place. They made his skin crawl and something unpleasant twist in his stomach. He wanted to answer just to get rid of the gaze and that made him annoyed.

“I love him. Why the hell _wouldn’t_ I take him in? He needed a place to stay. I had a couch.”

“You got him a bed.”

“He’s taller than my couch.”

“You got mad about the money.”

His eyes narrowed and he drew himself up to his full height. “That’s not your business. I didn’t take Gon in to get money. It’s Mito Ging should be giving his money too.” No good bastard. 

Killua smiled and it was as bad as the gaze. “Right.” He stuffed his hands in the pocket of his hoodie and walked towards the door. “I’ll keep an eye on Gon. He keeps trying to chat with Hisoka when you’re out.”

Killua laughed at the noise of exasperation Leorio released.

He strolled out of the bedroom and down the hall (why weren’t there any pictures?) towards the kitchen. The smells got stronger and his stomach rumbled again. He hadn’t had someone make a meal for him in a long time. Takeout didn’t count.

Kurapika had set the steamed pork buns on the counter and was currently passing vegetables to Gon to mix into a salad. Killua took a spot at the table and stretched his legs out in front of himself. 

“Leorio? Would you mind terribly fetching the platter from that shelf?” Kurapika motioned towards a decorative bookshelf behind the dining table. There were several books (all nonfiction) and a few small sculptures of things like whales, birds, foxes, and a few creatures he didn’t recognize. It was the most personalized thing he’d seen outside of Killua’s room. At the top were a few platters, and Kurapika had motioned towards a blue one with silver trim. He stretched up for it and plucked it down. He stepped into the kitchen and passed it to Kurapika with a friendly smile. 

Kurapika took it and smiled in return. “Thank you. I typically have to use a chair to reach that.” 

“Happy to help.” 

Kurapika studied him with eyes that almost looked red under the kitchen light. “Do you drink?”

“Sometimes.” 

Kurapika seemed to like that answer. The blond smiled subtly and turned back to the counter. “Pinot Noir? It’s in the fridge.” 

Why the hell not? Homework and housework could wait. He pulled the fridge open (five magnets shaped like fruit, no papers or pictures) and pulled the wine out. It was next to a bottle of chocolate milk that was half empty. 

“The glasses are on the shelf.” Kurapika added. Gon finished mixing the salad and marched it to the table like he was carrying an important trophy. Killua’s features didn’t move but he could see the smile in the teen’s eyes. He fetched the glasses and poured some of the wine in two cups. Killua got up from the table and pulled the chocolate milk out of the fridge along with a pouch of apple juice. He set the juice in front of Gon, who took it with far too broad a smile for apple juice, and poured himself a cup of chocolate milk. Leorio set the glasses of wine at the two remaining spots and picked up the plates Kurapika had set out. He passed them around and took the last seat.

Gon, unsurprisingly, started the conversation. He regaled them with a story of gym and the pacer test and getting a competition with two other students. He’d apparently exasperated his coach by continuing past the whistle. Kurapika told them about his students and Leorio found himself shocked at the number of situations a bunch of five year olds could get in. Killua offered snarky comments that made Kurapika smile softly and Gon laugh loudly. Leorio listened, offering a few stories of his rounds that weren’t gross or sad. The food was good and warm, and healthier than he’d managed since Gon had arrived. It was easy to forget about his responsibilities. He relaxed into his chair, stretching his legs out and sipping at the wine. 

They finished the buns (Leorio had no idea how many he stuffed into his face) and the salad (Much to Leorio’s delight, Gon ate more of it than anyone else.) The boys retired to the living room part of the house and turned on the tv. They set up Killua’s switch and loaded up a game with tiny chefs in a kitchen. Kurapika refilled their glasses (how many had he had?) and watched the teens play for a few minutes. 

He was trying to decide if he should break the silence when Kurapika tilted his head slightly, blond bangs falling in his eyes. “Thank you.” 

“Shouldn’t I be thanking you? Dinner was delicious.”

Kurapika inclined his head in acknowledgement. “That’s not what I was thanking you for. Killua… he hasn’t had a chance for many friends. It was kind of you to let Gon come over.” He laughed wryly. “I can’t imagine it’s been easy.” 

Leorio’s eyes drifted across the room to the white haired teen. He was cackling like a maniac and, despite the fact that it was a team game, they seemed to be competing. It reminded him of things he didn’t want to think of. He had a pleasant buzz from the wine and didn’t want to think of any of that.

And of course, Leorio had no luck. 

Kurapika’s head turned towards him curiously. “Why did you decide to go into medicine?”

He’d been asked that question a thousand times. He always answered it with a lie. “Money.” He joked even though there was nothing funny about it. 

Kurapika’s nose wrinkled. “I don’t buy that.” He leaned back in his chair and observed Leorio. “I don’t buy that at all.”

The pleasant buzz faded. He hardly knew Kurapika. “Why not? Who doesn’t want money?” It wasn’t like he knew what sort of person Leorio was. 

“I won’t dignify that with a remark. What’s the actual reason?”

He focused on the teens. They were shoulder to shoulder, all gangly limbs and excited smiles. He could sob if he thought too hard. It was just the work. It had been a long day. He needed to get more sleep. 

Leorio huffed out a breath. “Sorry, I don't have some big noble cause. The only thing I'm after is money.”

The blond tilted towards him, eyes narrowed in irritation. “Be honest, Leorio. Do you really believe money can buy anything?”

He downed what was left in his glass and tried to keep his voice under control “Damn right I do.” He couldn’t do anything about the indignation in his words but at least he wasn’t shouting. “For the right price you can buy treasures, dreams, hopes,” he laughed without humor. “Even people’s lives.” Kurapika drew back like he’d been slugged. The irritation faded away to blank shock before anger overtook it all.

“Take that back!” The blond hissed. Neither of the teens heard them. Their video game kitchen was on fire and they were yelling about it. Gon was laughing like a maniac as his (cat?) tried to grab a fire extinguisher. He blamed the wine on the fact that he wasn’t seeing them any longer. The pain was a sudden, living, strangling thing. 

“What?” His voice was hoarse and there wasn’t anything to drink to make it better. “It’s the truth isn’t it?” Another laugh that sounded fake and sad. “If i’d had money my friend would-” 

He bit the words off before he could say them. He didn’t want to go over this. 

Kurapika got up from the table and went to the kitchen. He returned a moment later and set a glass of water in front of Leorio. He accepted it and took a long swig.

The blond sat down gingerly as the teens continued to try and save their burnt kitchen from endlessly bad reviews.

Finally, “Were they ill?”

He nodded and took another drink. “Yeah. It was a curable disease but money was a luxury none of us had.”

He’d never go back to that. He’d find a way to stop it from ever happening again. He would make money and he would fix the damned system or buy it out. He’d stop children from fucking dying over things they’d already found a cure for. He didn’t care if it was impossible. He’d find a way. He’d spend the rest of his life on it.

Leorio downed the rest of his water.

“I dare say, Lerorio, that you have a noble cause. Pursuing money or not.” Kurapika dragged thin fingers around the rim of his glass. “Now, would you like another glass of wine or would you prefer to show those two how to properly run a kitchen?” He snorted without quite meaning to. 

He stood up and walked around the table. “Gon, make some space.” 

* * *

They left after a few more hours of game play and conversation. At one point Gon and Killua got into a contest over who could fit more gummy bears in their mouth and Leorio was both extremely disgusted and rather worried about the choking hazard. 

He finally corralled his cousin and dragged him towards the door. He thanked Kurapika for the dinner again and left the apartment. 

It took five steps to reach his own door. He pulled his keys out and stuck it in the lock only for Gon to tug on his sleeve.

“What’s that?” The teen pointed towards the scuffed up door mat. There was an envelope tucked under its corner.

He unlocked the door and motioned for Gon to go inside. The teen did after a moment of nudging. He picked the envelope up and hurried inside. He locked the door immediately and strolled towards the table. 

“Did you finish your homework?”

Gon’s face told him all the answer he needed. “Go fetch it and I’ll help." Gon nodded and rushed off to the hall where his backpack was stored. Leorio took the moment to open the envelope. He flipped it over and stared at the back of the envelope. There was what looked like lipstick on it. 

What the hell was up with the mail?

He lifted the flap, careful not to disturb the potential lip print in case it could be evidence, and peered inside. 

There was a post it note inside along with a small tube of liquid bandaid. 

He felt immediate relief followed by immediate alarm. What in the hell would Hisoka have written? He wanted to know and he did _not_ want to know.

Curiosity got the better of him. 

_Thanks for the loan. I look forward to paying it back. ★🌢_

Honestly? Leorio wasn’t sure what he’d expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update will be Friday.
> 
> I am having to kick these morons along in the plot. They just want to be neighbors and go about their business without any advancement.


	6. Chapter 6

Another week passed without Leorio really noticing. He’d fallen into a routine with Gon and he started to feel like he was making it. They got their homework done, they were eating somewhat healthy every night, and Gon was hanging out with another kid his age. Killua was around his apartment or Gon was at his apartment. If they weren’t, then the blasted knocking was going on. 

God help him, he’d started to understand what they were saying. He found himself tempted to join in and see if he could hold a conversation.

He saw Kurapika more often as well. They’d taken to watering their deck plants at the same time and they’d catch up on each other's days while they were at it. It wasn’t something he’d ever thought about but he couldn’t deny it. A friendship had formed.

Kurapika hadn’t prodded anymore about his friend. He was grateful for that because he didn’t think he’d be able to keep himself from talking about it and whenever he remembered Pietro… Well the nights were long and the dreams were terrible. He never seemed to remember the good times. The games and the laughter and the joy of being young and alive with their entire future ahead of them. No, it was always those final, abhorrent, days. He’d been robbed of his friend before death took him. He’d become a ghost of himself. It was the worst. 

He found himself wanting to ask about Kurapika’s life. He wanted to learn about why he had Killua in his care. The siblings had some shared mannerisms but they really looked nothing alike. Leorio’s initial thought was that they were adopted siblings but even that seemed off. Foster siblings could make sense, they were very loyal to each other and seemed secretive but he wasn’t certain.

He hadn’t asked yet but he had learned more. Kurapika adored children even if they drained him of children. He loved tea with a ridiculous passion and could use a bokkan effectively. (Leorio got a demonstration of that on the deck and decided he wanted to learn how to use the weapon.)

Things started to settle. It made him a little uneasy. No one in his family ever settled for long.

He was coming home from a long but not terrible shift and jogging up the steps with some surprise ice cream for Gon and possibly Killua if the teen was hanging over. Hisoka was, as he always seemed to be, outside his door. He had a dark haired stranger he was holding hands with and whispering too quietly to. They looked like an almost normal couple but there was something about the tall, extremely pale man that rubbed Leorio the wrong way. It wasn’t an anger thing but an uncomfortable niggling in his brain. Something he felt like he should be noticing but didn’t. He nodded to them both and tried to shuffle past. Hisoka smiled toothily, somehow both menacing and lewd, and waved his fingers. 

The tall, dark haired stranger turned dark eyes towards him and just stared. For a moment the niggling sensation was just at the edge of his mind and he almost had it and-

It was gone and he was trying to repress a shudder. He felt frightened. Leorio had been in the presence of murderers they’d had to handcuff to beds. He’d had to tend to injured children while their almost certainly abusive parents watched him work. He’d had to help wrangle high out of their mind individuals who didn’t feel pain and had strength humans shouldn’t have access to. He’d done all of that and felt a bit of self preservation and anger more often than not but not this kind of fear. 

It was weird and made him want to get into his apartment and lock it. He wanted to make sure Gon was safe and away from whoever the creepy person was that seemed to have ill intentions. A wild part of him wanted to warn Hisoka to get away from him.

Instead he smiled and quickened his pace. He shoved his key in the lock and slipped inside his apartment. He shut the door, locked it and peeked through his peep hole to see that the dark haired man was looking towards his door with a smile. 

Leorio sprang back and tried not to shudder.

“You okay, old man?”

Leorio sprang into the air and almost dropped the ice cream. Killua was watching him from the kitchen counter that he was perched on like it was a normal thing to do. He had on a hoodie and shorts and had a half eaten bar of chocolate in his hand. He set it on the counter and propped his chin on his hand.

“Yes.” His voice cracked and he swallowed. Killua raised an eyebrow. Leorio straightened. “What are you doing here? Is Gon here?”

Killua jumped off the counter and immediately shoved his hands in his pockets. “Chill, old man. Gon’s in the toilet and I’m about to be leaving.”

Leorio moved back in front of the door. “Not yet. There’s someone weird out there.”

Killua dropped the eyebrow and tilted his head. “Weird? Like Hisoka?”

“Somehow worse.” He shrugged and tried not to look alarmed. “He looked like a vampire and gave off child murderer vibes.” He dropped the ice cream on the counter and went to the cabinet. “Want a bowl? I’m sure Gon will.”

“Gon’ll eat anything.” Killua turned on his heel so he was facing the counter again. “What flavor you got?”

“Chocolate.” He pulled the bowls out and put them on the counter. He looked up to find Killua studying him in that too serious way. “Sprinkles?” He offered while he tried to figure out what would bring that expression on. He needed to find his courage and ask Kurapika about the boy. He showed too many signs of abuse to be comfortable.

“Sure.” Killua blinked slowly and propped his elbows on the counter. His expression shifted, his faces softening, and he looked cheery. It… it wasn’t quite right. He couldn’t figure out why. “So,” his voice was bright as he snatched a bowl up, “what did this child murderer look like? Are there specific features that scream I’ll kill a kid?”

Some instinct Leorio didn’t know what to call told him to go along with the subject change. “You mean other than being a friend of Hisoka?”

Killua laughed and grabbed up the ice cream scoop. There was a flush from the bathroom which meant Gon would be joining them soon.

“Like I said, he looked like a vampire. Pale, tall, dark hair, dark eyes. Probably had sharp teeth. But it wasn’t the looks. He just gave off that vibe. You know?”

He placed the sprinkles on the counter in front of Killua and pulled a plate of leftovers out of the fridge. He popped it in the microwave and realized Killua hadn’t said anything. 

The teen was staring at the door with a frown and he had a white knuckle grip around his spoon. 

“You okay?”

Killua startled and adjusted his grip on the spoon so it looked more like something he could stab with. He blinked and smiled, his body relaxing. “Nah. Just thinking. Gon challenged me to a card game. I might take him up on it after all.”

Once again, for no apparent reason, Leorio’s brain supplied one word. _Lie._

“So long as he finished his homework. I’ve got some studying to do so just try and keep the shouting to a minimum.” 

The bathroom door opened and Gon came out. A big smile spread across his face. “Leorio! Hi!” A beat, “Ice cream!” Leorio returned the greeting, his lips tugging up in a smile. Gon’s excitement was infectious and it was so nice to have someone that genuinely happy to see you.

Killua passed Gon an already fixed bowl and took up the second one. The microwave dinged that Leorio’s dinner was hot. He took it out and went to the wobbly table. Gon and Killua retreated to the living room. Gon filled him in on his school day and how he’d gotten assigned to a group project with his friend Zushi. Apparently they were making a diorama of a volcano and Gon wanted to see a real one. Killua and him made a plan to see one over summer vacation that Leorio didn’t think Kurapika would allow.

He nodded absently, eating his pasta and broccoli, flipping through his bills and letters. There wasn’t anything interesting in it. He finished his meal and got up with a stretch. His back popped dramatically. He slumped forward, relaxed, and rolled his neck. It was watering time. He grabbed the can, filled it up, and slipped out on his deck.

Kurapika was leaning against his own railing with a mug of tea in his hands and his eyes trained upwards at the stars. He looked tired and somehow sad. He was curled in on himself a little, elbows pressed against his sides and knees slightly bent.

Leorio slipped out the door and shut it quietly behind himself. 

“Did you have a late shift?” Kurapika asked softly, his gaze staying upwards. 

“Yep. There was a three car pile up. Nothing too serious but it did make us run late.” He studied his friend's small form and, for the second time in less than an hour, found himself asking the same question. “You okay?”

Kurapika nodded without moving his gaze. “Yes. Just tired. Children can be a bit draining.”

“A bit?” 

Kurapika’s lips quirked up. “Quite draining.” He took a sip of his tea, small hands curling around the mug as if he were cold. Leorio set to watering his plants quietly. 

Kurapika was quiet for another minute or so. “Do you ever have days that are just sad?” 

“I’m a doctor. Well, I will be. Yeah. Some days are just sad.”

Kurapika nodded and took another sip. “I mean days where nothing happened but…”

“Yeah. I have those.” He gave his yellow hibiscus some water and considered the blooms. “Some days just feel heavy.”

This was turning into one of those days.

“How is Killua doing?”

“He’s eating ice cream with Gon.”

Kurapika sipped his tea and it almost looked like he smiled. Leorio pulled a few dead leaves from his plants. 

“Sorry I’m not much for conversation tonight.”

Leorio shrugged. “Gon does nothing but talk. Sometimes it’s nice to be quiet.”

Kurapika laughed, properly, and flashed a quick grin in his direction. “He’s made Killua talk more than I’ve heard in years.”

“You know, there’s enough ice cream if you want some too.” He offered. “I’ve got some studying to do but I’ve got plenty of table if you need to work on that lesson plan.”

Kurapika turned his gaze onto Leorio properly. His eyes were red and Leorio didn’t have to be a doctor to know that the man had been crying at some point. “What flavor?”

He smiled. “Chocolate.”

Kurapika downed his tea like it was a shot. “Sounds good.” He moved towards his door and grabbed the handle. “I’ll be right back.” Leorio nodded and turned back to his plants. He finished watering them and a moment later, Kurapika was appearing with a bag. The blond caught hold of the railing between their decks and leapt over it like it was easy and a normal thing to do. Leorio was getting used to bizarre behaviour so he just pulled his door open. Gon shouted a greeting to Kurapika and gushed about their plans to visit volcanoes while Leorio fixed two bowls of ice cream. Kurapika laid his items out on half the table and listened with a patient smile.

Leorio passed him a bowl and took his seat. He flipped open his reference book and tugged his lecture notes out of his bag. 

He couldn’t help but peek at Kurapika’s lesson plan. He’d never thought about Kindergarteners needing lesson plans and he found it intriguing. Kurapika noticed his lame attempts at sneaking a glance and tilted his papers so he could see. 

They were genuine, highly detailed, lesson plans. He wanted to laugh but he was pretty sure Kurapika would use his bokkan skills and Leorio would lose that fight. 

The blond fixed him a mug of spearmint tea -which was something he’d never had- and was apparently both caffeine free and energizing. He wasn’t sure about any of that but it tasted good and it was fun to have someone to work with.

Gon and Killus ended up falling asleep on the couch in a huddle while Leorio and Kurapika worked and kept a quiet conversation going. It was easy and felt strangely natural. 

He wasn’t sure what to make of any of it but he was happy for the change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight time skip as I try to push the friendships along so I can get to the plot and fun parts.


	7. Chapter 7

Leorio received the worst news of his week (he would say month but Grandma Abe getting cancer had to take the cake.) about five minutes before his shift started. It was one of the dreaded 15 hour shifts and he was told by his not at all sorry lead that he had to work with Tonpa.

Fucking  _ Tonpa. _

Tonpa who didn’t give a damn about patients and who always managed to just not be around. Tonpa who swept in with stupid facts that couldn’t be right but no one was quick enough to counter. He was messy, rude, and he had no bedside manner.

He was also a fucking suck-up and their mentors adored him. It was like they couldn’t see what an utter failure he was. 

Nope. They praised him and put him on Leorio’s shift. He hated the guy. He was never nice to patients without insurance and he was way too quick in clearing them. He was lazy and Leorio could not stand him.

He had a cross cover shift tomorrow, and then he’d be off for a day. And Tonpa was now a permanent part of his team. He’d stayed up too late the previous night to finish a report and he was tired before he started the dang overnight shift.

It was a long,  _ long _ night and his stupid car died in the parking lot. He had to get a jump and drove home tired and just in time to pick Gon up and drive him to school. He got back, ignored Hisoka going out for the day, and fell onto his couch. He passed out for about a half hour before getting up and devouring a sandwich. He did his homework and left for his afternoon lectures. 

He got back to find Gon not in the apartment and a water damaged postcard on his mat. Stupid Ging was apparently visiting Bora Bora. 

He crumpled it up without bothering to read what his (bastard) cousin had written. He chucked it in his trash and dropped his bag by the door. 

He stood in his small entry way and stared at his couch. He had to go and make something for dinner. He had to make sure Gon had done his homework. He had to do homework.

He was so tired.

Leorio exhaled weakly and crossed his apartment to his room. He stripped off his suit and put on a pair of sweats and an old exercise shirt. He shoved on some slippers and trudged out of the room to his kitchen. 

He needed to go shopping again. Damn it. How did two people eat so much? He didn’t have time for the store.

He had the fridge open and was just staring at it without actually seeing it for who knew how long when he was distracted by a knock. His head snapped up and towards his deck. Gon was standing on his deck with a smile. He waved.

“Leorio! Hi!”

“Gon?”

“Wanna come over for dinner?”

He crossed the kitchen and tugged his deck door open. “Come over where? You live here.”

Gon laughed, his smile wide and bright. “Kurapika’s. Killua was helping me with math and he offered to buy dinner for everyone.”

He wanted to say no because he was an adult and should not leach off his neighbor/sort of friend. He should fix his own dinner and then conk out for a few hours.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Gon stepped forward and looked up at Leorio like he was worried about his mental abilities. “Dinner? Do you want some? It’s pizza.”

He stared down at his cousin and, without quite meaning to, nodded. “Sure.” 

Gon instantly beamed. “Great!” He turned on his heel and promptly bounded over the rail between their decks. He nearly knocked over Kurapika’s Mandevilla. Leorio trailed after him at a more subdued pace and grabbed hold of the metal.

He froze part way over the rail. “Gon, use the door from now on. This is dangerous. I don’t want to explain to Mito why you broke something while you were living with me.”

Gon glanced over his shoulder and once again looked at Leorio like he thought might be stupid.

“Leorio, I climb up to my room all the time. There’s a tree outside my window that connects and everything. This isn’t even that high.”

He landed stiffly on the other side and rubbed his eyes. He didn’t need to know that and now he couldn’t unlearn it. His young cousin was going to break his adventurous neck.

“Ah,” Kurapika noticed them on his deck. He motioned for them to come in, “the pizzas have arrived.” He smiled up at Leorio. He had glitter on his cheek and a few stray stickers on his shirt. Leorio couldn’t help but wonder if he realized it.

“Hey old man.” Killua called from the floor. He was surrounded by what was probably Gon’s homework. 

“Hey yourself.” He went to the kitchen and offered the blond a smile. “Need help?”

Kurapika shook his head in amusement. “It’s pizza, Leorio. There’s nothing to prepare.” 

He blushed and averted his eyes. “There’s plates and drinks.”

“It’s already set up.” Kurapika smiled and passed him a plate. He motioned towards the open boxes on the counter. Leorio went to them and peered down. A cheese pizza and a vegetarian pizza. He went for the veggie one so he felt better about himself. He retreated to the dining room table and plopped down in the seat. He always felt a little gangly in dining room chairs. His legs always hit the table edge unless he stretched them out and then he just felt like he was taking up all the space.

Kurapika sat down next to him with his own veggie pizza. “Did you want a drink?”

“Uh,” he blinked and gave himself a mental shake. He’d been up for longer periods than this. He wasn’t sure why he was so tired. It was probably stupid Tonpa.

“Water?”

Kurapika passed him a glass. Gon and Killua took the entire cheese pizza back to their homework pile and Leorio felt the mildly silly urge to warn them not to get grease on the homework. He didn’t need Gon’s teachers thinking he was messy. He was, he just didn’t want strangers knowing that. 

Kurapika told him a charming story about a five year old giving him a flower for his desk. He also told a story about three five year old discovering a caterpillar in the back corner of the room and refusing to pay attention to anything but it for the rest of the day. Leorio listened, a small smile on his face, and tried not to think about his shift tomorrow and having to deal with Tonpa. Again.

Gon got a B on his group project with Zushi and they’d apparently been on opposite teams for a competitive game of dodgeball that had ended with one kid going to the nurses office for a nose bleed.

Leorio tried not to worry too much. Killua looked proud of Gon and high fived him for winning. 

They retired to the couch after dinner and the teens pulled out a video game. Leorio tried to pay attention but it was impossible. Kurapika’s couch was stiff and uncomfortable looking but it was  _ not. _ It was soft and squishy and there was enough space that he could stretch his legs out. He tried to watch them beat the levels but the characters blurred together. 

He snapped to sudden wakefulness some time later. Kurapika was leaning over him with the edge of a blanket in between his fingers. He’d been in the middle of draping it over Leorio. A soft red and blue thing, all fuzzy and warm. 

“Sorry,” Kurapika straightened, leaving the blanket around Leorio, “I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

Leorio blinked, trying to understand where he was. “Huh?”

Kurapika sat in the spot next to him. “You fell asleep. The boys retired to Killua’s room.” 

He rubbed his face. “Shit, I didn’t mean to.” 

Kurapika shrugged a thin shoulder. “It’s fine. Gon said you had an overnight shift.” He brushed his bangs out of his eyes and Leorio couldn’t help but follow the hands movement. He had shapely hands that looked delicate but were deceptively strong. Leorio also couldn’t help but notice his hair looked soft.

He shoved the thoughts down and stomped on them. 

“Got another one in the morning. What time is it?”

“It’s only been an hour or so.” His voice was soft and even. He had freckles on his cheek and the glitter was still there.

Leorio shoved those thoughts away as well. “Shit. I’ve got homework.”

“You’re welcome to do it over here.”

He pushed himself up, the blanket sliding to his lap. “Wouldn’t want to impose.”

Kurapika shrugged. “I’ve got lesson plans to make and some paperwork to do. I can make certain you stay awake since I doubt either of those boys will be going to sleep before midnight.”

Leorio rubbed his face. “He’s got school in the morning. I should stop that.”

Kurapika laughed with an amused smile. “I don’t imagine Gon is stoppable.”

Leorio shook his head. “No. The little moron would just climb out the window.”

Kurapika laughed again. It was a nice laugh. Leorio stretched and stood up. He had to study and write at least one paper. If he went to his apartment he’d probably manage to do it but there was every chance he’d fall asleep again. He could accept the invitation and he might even have fun.

“I’ll go get my stuff, if you’re certain it won’t be too much.”

Kurapika stood up as well. He picked the blanket up and began to fold it. “It won’t be any trouble at all.”

Leorio offered him a sleepy smile and went out the front door. Hisoka was strolling up the stairs and sent a sharp toothed smile his way.

“Mmm, enjoying the company of our local teacher?” He tilted his head and Leorio fumbled with his keys. “Are you a good or  _ bad _ student?” He laughed as if he was hilarious. “Did he give you detention?” Hisoka pulled his own keys out as Leorio finally got his in his lock. “How fun.”

He got in his apartment and shut the door behind himself. He did not need Hisoka thinking weird things about him and Kurapika. He didn’t need HIsoka even knowing he was  _ friends _ with Kurapika.

God, the idea of Hisoka knowing who he was dating was horrifying. Not that he was planning on dating anyone any time soon. He was too busy. He didn’t want to go down that path again.

Damn sleepiness making his mind wander. He crossed his apartment and grabbed his bag up. He packed a few additional books and caught his reflection in the window.

Once again he’d gone over to Kurapika’s looking like a homeless person. His neighbor was going to think he couldn’t dress. It was too late to change without appearing like he’d wanted to look nicer. Which he didn’t. Well… it wasn’t weird to want to look like he knew how to dress.

Whatever.

He grabbed his items and tugged his door open slightly. He peeked out in the hall and felt his shoulders relax when it was empty. He slipped out, locked his door, and rushed to Kurapika’s apartment. He got in and shut the door with a shiver. 

“Everything alright?” Kurapika asked from the kitchen. He was preparing some more of the spearmint tea. Leorio perked up at the sight of it. 

“Just Hisoka being a creep.”

Kurapika’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “You can use the dining table or the coffee table though I would recommend the dining table.”

Leorio went to the dining table. He’d fall asleep on the couch.

Kurapika joined him with two steaming cups of tea and claimed a small corner of the table. They sat quietly with only the sound of typing and the occasional shout from the other room. The white noise was a pleasant distraction and made it easier to focus on the lecture notes. The tea was warm and refreshing, and he found the words coming more easily as he worked.

It was a relief to have someone to work with and to not have to focus on all the other pressing things that needed doing. He could just finish his homework and chill with Kurapika. No frills and no expectations.

It was weird how not weird it felt.


	8. Chapter 8

Leorio was once again standing outside, leaning against his railing, and watching the clouds moving in front of the moon overhead. Kurapika was a few inches away, leaning on his own railing and watching the moon. They’d been standing like that for a few minutes now, just enjoying the night together.

He’d had another  _ long _ day and his chances of not strangling Tonpa were shrinking. He’d rant about it, Kurapika would listen, but he didn’t want to break the silence. Not right now. 

He’d learned some new info and didn’t really know what to say. 

Kurapika, and Killua, as it turned out, were orphans. He’d suspected it was something of that sort, but there was a big difference in expecting something and having it verified as true. 

They’d apparently died tragically in a car crash. Kurapika had taken his brother in and they’d built a new life together. Kurapika told him the tale in bits and pieces over a month. Killua had filled in the last details. It explained Kurapika’s protectiveness of his brother. If he was the last member of his family then… well Leorio would never let Gon out of his sight if their roles were reversed. 

That would have been enough to make him quiet but, alas, there were other… issues. Annoyingly, but not surprisingly, the random thoughts hadn’t gone away. He would be going about his day when he suddenly noticed something new about Kurapika. It might be the way his lips quirked up in an almost smile when he was amused, or the fact that he had exactly five freckles on his nose. He’d even caught himself checking out the shorter man at dinner the other night and promptly had a mental freakout.

But not even that was what he was currently holding onto silence for.

“His name was Pairo.”

Four simple words filled with an all to familiar pain. Strange that both the lost boys would have names that started with P. 

He hadn’t asked for more details yet. He wasn’t sure he needed them. Kurapika’s voice had told most of the tale. Leorio understood it. He understood it better than most.

Gon and Killua’s laughter filtered through the air, a bright spot in the cool, silent night. He closed his eyes at the sound and tried to remember the way Pietro’s laugh had sounded. It had been a loud laugh. The kind that exploded from nowhere and rang in your ears long after it stopped.

Kurapika was staring down now, his eyes almost red in night light. His hair was lit by the street lamp and glittery, pretty even in the dark. Pietro... Pietro had dark hair.

“Mine was named Pietro.”

Kurapika’s eyes turned on him and nothing else was said. Laughter rang out from his apartment, still just a little too loud. 

“Would you care for some tea?”

He nodded. Anything would be better than sitting with the memories. He hopped the rail and followed the other man inside.

There were flowers on the table. Pretty daisies that instantly caught his eye and made him pause. It was one of the most personal things he’d seen in the house and there had never been flowers before. Had someone brought Kurapika flowers?

Huh. He should have expected it. Kurapika probably had a significant other. Just because he hadn’t seen them didn’t mean they didn’t exist. 

He shook the thoughts away and strode towards the table while Kurapika pulled an already warm pot off the stove. “Anything in particular you’d like?”

He considered it for all of five seconds. “Spearmint.” He’d come to  _ really _ like the bright flavor. It might just be that he’d only ever drank it here but he was associating it with calmness and focus. He was going to have to find out where Kurapika bought the stuff and start taking it to work. God knows he needed some calm on his shifts.

Kurapika brought him a steaming cup and set it down with a coaster and a small tray for his tea bag. Apparently Leorio over steeped his tea because you weren’t supposed to keep the tea bags in. He’d gotten the most horrified look from Kurapika for leaving his bag in for more than fifteen minutes.

The short blond sat across from him and stretched his legs out. “You’re rather quiet tonight.”

He shrugged. “Memories do that.”

Kurapika nodded and ran the tip of a long finger over the rim of his cup. Leorio’s eyes were transfixed by the simple motion. He felt weird tonight. Distant and a little tired. Kinda disassociative. It was an exhaustion thing. He needed to get more sleep but it was so hard to with everything he had to do.

“Leorio?” 

He blinked hard and dragged his eyes up. Kurapika was staring at him, a faint blush on his cheeks. Leorio offered him a smile and lifted his cup up. He sipped at the warm liquid and tried to shake the strange melancholy. 

“Sorry, did you say something?”

Kurapika smiled easily. “I asked what horrible thing Tonpa had done today. Regale me with a tale of his awfulness.” 

Leorio’s smile became genuine almost immediately. He dove into a story of Tonpa skipping out on his shift to sneak a nap in a vacant room and how he’d conspired with three nurses, a janitor, and the anesthesiologist to call him out on the professor and team lead only for them to ignore it. Kurapika told him a story about his class and their excitement at watching a butterfly that got loose in the room. 

He stayed much later than he intended and had another glass of the tea.

When he got back to his apartment he found both teens passed out on the couch. He watched them for a long moment before making his way to the couch. He crouched in front of the teens and tapped Killua’s knee.

In hindsight, it was a stupid move. He’d already noticed all the signs and he was at least 98% sure that the teen had grown up in an abusive home before he’d found Kurapika’s family. He knew that Killua was hyper aware and didn’t react well to quick movements. He should have  _ known _ .

He tapped the knee once and promptly found himself sprawled on his back, on the floor, with Killua on top of him. The teen had his knee pressed against Leorio’s throat and both hands pinning his arms to the ground. His blue eyes were wild with fright and anger and they weren’t seeing Leorio at all. It was obvious that wherever Killua had just been transported, he wasn’t seeing anything around him. 

More importantly at the moment though, Leorio couldn’t  _ breathe. _

Fighting seemed like a tremendously bad idea. Partly because he’d had almost no experience fighting and Killua clearly had. It also seemed likely to make things much worse. 

“Kill-ua,” he choked, “‘s me.” He ran out of air. 

Killua sprang back with a gasp. He landed beside the chair in a crouch like he was going to sprint away.

Leorio stayed right where he was and sucked in a haggard breath. Gon’s soft snore was still echoing around the room so they hadn’t woken him up.

“Sorry,” he managed after a few seconds. “Shoulda known better than to do that.”

“Are,” Killua swallowed, his entire body so  _ tense _ , “are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” He assured and lifted his head. He kept the rest of his body still. He didn’t want to freak the kid out anymore. “Not the first time I’ve been knocked down. Things get crazy on night shift.” Killua lowered his arms. Leorio took it as a good sign and sat up. “To be honest, I’m a little impressed. You laid me out quick. I’ve had gang members who couldn’t move like that.”

He eyed Gon so Killua could compose himself. “He can sleep through anything. I swear.”

Killua’s eyes darted to the sleeping teen. His hand twitched towards him before he shoved it in his pocket. “He’s an idiot.”

Leorio shrugged. “At least he’s a well rested one.” 

Killua’s lips quirked up slightly. He stood swiftly and Leorio managed not to make any reaction to the unexpected movements. 

“I gotta go back. Pika worries and shit.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Sorry about-”

He shook his head adamantly. “No, it was my fault. You’re not responsible for what you do when you’re asleep.” He glanced back at Gon. “Do me a favor and teach him how to take someone down like that. I don’t like how much attention Hisoka gives him.” 

Killua’s smile was sharp. He nodded and looked utterly thrilled with the idea. Leorio watched him dart out the deck and to his own apartment from the floor. He waited another moment and got up. He locked the deck and put away the dishes they’d eaten off of.

“Leorio?”

Gon was sitting up on the couch with a dazed and very tired expression. “Hey buddy.” He crossed the room to stand behind the couch. “How ya doing?”

Gon frowned. “Where’s Killua?”

“He just left.” 

Gon fiddled with the edge of the blanket. His shoulders slumped and his lips dipped down at the corner. “I thought he was going to stay all night.”

“Sorry, bud.”

Gon lapsed into silence but Leorio got the feeling he had more he wanted to say or ask. 

“Have… Have you ever liked someone?”

Leorio’s eyes widened and he was suddenly very grateful Gon wasn’t looking at him. He hadn’t expected that. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but it hadn’t been that.

“Yeah, a couple times. Have you?”

Oh  _ god. _ Had anyone given Gon the talk? Did he know about the birds and the bees? He couldn’t picture Mito or Abe doing it and there was no way in hell Ging had done it. 

Shit. What was he supposed to say? Was there a manual? Why now? Why not later after he’d had a chance to get some help.

“I… I don’t think so? I’ve had a lotta friends but no one I liked.” He frowned and looked up with curious, sad, eyes. “How do you know the difference?”

He sat on the back of his ratty couch. “Well… It’s just… different. Kinda fluttery. You think about them a lot and it’ll make you feel kinda funny. They’re distracting and exciting to be around.”

Gon nodded thoughtfully. “Distracting? Like you keep looking at them?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. You might get caught looking at certain features or thinking about them when you should be doing something else.”

He had no idea which way Gon leaned but he couldn’t help but think of the white-haired boy that had just left. He wondered if Killua was distracting Gon. 

“Have you noticed how fluffy Killua’s hair looks?” 

Well, that answered that question. Gon apparently leaned towards Killua. 

“It’s very fluffy. Looks soft too.”

Gon nodded adamantly. “His eyes are really blue.” 

Blue had never been Leorio’s favorite. Pietro’s had been green, Kurapikas were-

Nope. Not going down that path.

“Yep.”

Gon glanced up at him. “But he’s a guy.” 

“So?”

“What if he’s not the same?” 

Leorio shrugged a shoulder. “You’d have the same problem if it was a girl. Just ‘cause you like them doesn’t mean they’re attracted to you. But I don’t think Killua would rebuff you. He’d probably still hang with you even if he didn’t like you like that.”  Leorio had seen the way his eyes darted to Gon when he’d been panicked. He might not be attracted to him but he didn’t look like he’d be leaving any time soon.

“It’s scary.” Gon muttered. “I don’t like being scared.”

Leorio pat the teen’s thin shoulder. He pointedly did not think of a short blond with sad eyes. “Yeah. It is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how late this is and that it's a little shorter than usual :( I'll try and get it up on time this week.
> 
> Also, yes, I am totally making a joke about Kurapika's eye color being different in every medium. They're brown/red in the manga, blue/red in the 99 anime, and gray/red in the 11 anime.


	9. Chapter 9

Leorio’s car battery died again at the end of his overnight shift. He had to ask for a jump from  _ Tonpa _ . It was going to be a terrible day.

He got home, utterly ready to crash on the couch, only to realize that it was a weekend which meant Gon and Killua were going to be around all day.

He wanted to cry.

“Hey!” Gon greeted as he walked in the door. His cousin was all smiles and bubbly excitement and Leorio was willing to bet that at least eighty percent of that excitement was due to the white-haired teen sitting next to him. Killua was perched on the arm of the couch with a bowl of chips and a half eaten bar of chocolate. He waved his hand in greeting and trudged to the kitchen.

There were no leftovers and he didn’t feel like chips. He rested his forehead against the freezer door and sighed. 

“You hungry, old man?” Killua asked from the couch. He took a lot longer than he should have to realize the teen was talking to him.

“Yeah. Don’t worry. I’ll find something.”

Killua shared a mischievous smile with Gon that Leorio did not see. “Kurapika made pancakes for breakfast. Do you like pancakes?”

He huffed out a tired breath and pulled away from the fridge. He loved pancakes. 

“Yeah, Leorio always eats pancakes.” Gon said in way too cheerful a voice.

Killua slid off the couch and stood up. “Come on.” He set the bowl on the couch and beckoned for Leorio to follow. “He’ll be thrilled to feed you.”

Leorio looked down at his scrubs and promptly shook his head. He was covered in too many bodily fluids that weren’t his. He wanted to change and shower and  _ sleep _ . He needed food too. He didn’t want to intrude on his neighbor. He could just eat instant ramen.

“Nah, I’m just gonna hang here. I need to shower and change.”

Killua scowled. “It’s fine. Kurapika teaches kindergarteners. They're always a mess.”

Kurapika had one of the cleanest places Leorio had ever seen. He doubted the short blond would be okay with him bringing his messy self over. He didn’t want to bug him when they had finally reached friendship.

Gon was smiling now. It was an awkward, large, mildly fake smile. “Kurapika could make them for you after you shower. I’m sure he’d be happy to.”

He smiled, waved them off, and trudged to his room. The hot water refused to work and he was just too tired to care. The cold water was enough to make him  _ almost _ feel awake. He cleaned up the vomit, blood, spit, and god only knew what else, off his body and caught an unfortunate glimpse of himself as he left the bathroom. He had bags under his eyes and he was pale. Both signs of sleep deprivation. 

Though, to be fair, Leorio had never seen a medical student who didn’t look that way. 

He made it back to his bedroom and stared forlornly at his bed. He had to eat first. He had homework. He had to do the bills. 

Being an adult sucked.

Leorio pulled on the softest clothes he owned to make up for the lack of sleep options. He would have gone in boxers but it was cold in the apartment. He trudged back out to the living room to find the kids had vanished on him. Whatever. That just meant it might actually be quiet for a little while. 

He fixed some microwaveable ramen and dropped onto the couch. It was a little too hot and the couch was a little too comfortable. He managed maybe a bite of it before he nodded off.

He woke up  _ way _ too short of a time later. Gon was staring down at him with a frown, and Leorio was confused.

“You made ramen.”

Leorio blinked and tried to understand what his cousin was saying. 

“Huh?”

Gon poked the half spilled ramen. “You made ramen. Kurapika was going to make you pancakes.” Gon was staring at him like he was a big disappointment and he’d just done something far worse than fixing a cup of ramen. He muttered some kind of a reply and promptly fell back asleep.

* * *

Leorio would have written the entire thing as a bizarre one off, but weird moments kept happening. Specifically with Killua and Gon.

A few days after the pancake incident he stopped by Kurapika’s after a long morning shift. He brought over his homework supplies and set up shop on the short blond’s table. Kurapika joined him with his kindergarten supplies and started to work on them. They lapsed into companionable silence while the teens worked on their own homework. Well, they worked on Gon’s homework. The boys started a way too loud playlist of pop songs and songs in languages he didn’t recognize. 

Leorio was flipping through a book searching for an obscure fact on water allergies. (The fact that some unfortunate soul out there might be allergic to  _ water _ was too much.) when Kurapika suddenly went rigid across from him. He glanced up from his book and promptly found himself thoroughly alarmed. Kurapika had lost all his color and he wasn’t breathing. His doctor instincts kicked in and he was rising from the chair right as the blond shot up, and out of his own chair. Kurapika didn’t stop with standing. He continued up and climbed on top of the table, his limbs shaking and a terribly distressed noise falling from his quivering lips. 

“Kurapika?” He reached towards his panicking friend, his heart pounding with immediate alarm. The sleepiness in his limbs and brain evaporated at the possibility of Kurapika being hurt. “What’s going on?”

Kurapika pointed at the tiled floor with a shaking finger. Leorio looked down, panicked and ready to attack, only to spot a  _ spider. _ It wasn’t even that big of a spider. It was an ugly spider, all long limbed, fuzzy, and a gross shade of brown, but it was just a spider. 

“What? The spider?!”

Kurapika nodded, his eyes wide and utterly terrified. He shuffled closer to Leorio, still crouched on top of the table. 

He looked back at the spider. It didn’t look familiar so it probably wasn’t dangerous. It had almost made it to Kurapika’s chair. 

He glanced back at his friend in confusion. Kurapika was trembling. Okay. Apparently the blond was  _ terrified _ of spiders. Right. Who would have guessed. 

Kurapika looked like he was about five seconds from trying to climb on top of Leorio because he was the tallest thing in the room. He wasn’t opposed to being that close but not in this situation.

“I can take care of it?” He offered. He wasn’t a particularly big fan of killing spiders but he could recognize the signs of an oncoming panic attack in Kurapika. The man was on the verge of hyperventilating. 

Kurapika squeaked again. Leorio took that as a confirmation. He glanced around the table and spotted a half scribbled on piece of paper he’d taken a few notes on. He wasn’t using any of it so that would work just fine. He snatched it up and scooped the spider on it. 

Kurapika  _ shrieked. _ Gon shot across the room and tugged the deck door open. Leorio waltzed outside with the thoroughly confused spider and stuck it on his own deck. He crumpled the paper up and tossed it on his deck. He’d get that later. (He probably wouldn’ He’d probably remember it next week and it would already be gone.)

He came back to see Kurapika shakily climbing off the table with help from Killua. The white haired teen was whispering something to him as he caught his brother’s arms. Kurapika nodded, flushed with embarrassment, and let the lanky teen assist him off the table. He reached the floor and fidgeted with his shirt. 

Leorio watched him for a moment, stuck on how small and scared he suddenly looked. He hated when people looked like that. He hated when something made a person (especially one he cared about) look small and insignificant. 

Leorio strode into the room, pat Gon on the head and offered Kurapika a cheerful smile. Now that the immediate alarm was past he was starting to feel tired once more.

“I evicted the spider. No need for further worries.” 

Kurapika glanced at him for all of a second before looking back at the floor. “Thank you,” He whispered. Leorio wanted to reach out and touch him but he wasn’t sure it would be okay.

Killua glanced between them and his lips spread in an eerily large smile. “Wow!” He said entirely too loudly for Leorio’s tired head. “Isn’t Leorio brave? Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone around who  _ wasn’t _ scared of spiders?!”

Leorio was staring at Killua in utter confusion and missed Kurapika’s blush. 

“How about,” the blond murmured, “we return to our work. Gon? Would you please shut the door?”

Gon shut the door and Leorio resumed his seat. He flipped his book back open and stared down at words he could hardly read.

He flipped the page as Kurapika sat down again.

The blond was quiet for a moment. Finally, “Thank you.”

He smiled at his friend. “No problem. I’m happy to evict any spiders.”

Kurapika blushed and this time, Leorio couldn’t help but notice it. He wouldn’t mind helping Kurapika with future spiders. He wouldn’t mind at all.

* * *

The third oddity was mostly Gon’s doing. They were at his place for once and attempting a mario party game. Gon had gotten the  _ horrible _ idea to do fifty rounds and they were now all trapped and too competitive and it was only seventeen rounds in. (That had to be a lie. Leorio had been playing this games for years. There was no way they had only made it seventeen rounds in after two hours.)

“You are really bad at this game.” Killua pointed out with a teasing smile. He was sitting on the floor with his back against Leorio’s right leg and it felt like a  _ big _ deal. He’d been extra aware of touching the teen and made sure he didn’t initiate any contact. He did not want to freak the teen out again. He wanted Killua to feel safe falling asleep or lounging around. He was trying to discreetly get a few books on child psychology so he could do some studying. It felt weird going with child psychology because Killua was 14. But.. adult also felt wrong. 

“This game doesn’t like me.” Leorio muttered as he once again landed on a red space. He had no coins. Kurapika snickered in the seat next to him and Leorio had to work  _ hard _ not to smack him with his pillow. He was in second place (Killua was unfairly good at this game) and far richer than Leorio.

“Leorio!” Gon exclaimed suddenly as he landed on a treasure space. “What’s your favorite color?”

Leorio sighed and slumped back in his seat as he was once again stuck on a team against the other three players. “Red,” he muttered, “you already asked me that this morning.” It had been weird then too. He’d been eating cereal out of tupperware when the teen had just appeared out of nowhere and asked about colors.

Gon beamed, entirely unconcerned. “Hey, Kurapika’s wearing red!”

He eyed the blond and tried not to notice the way his soft sweater accented his muscles. He shook his head. “Nah, that’s more of a maroon.”

Gon immediately pouted and Kurapika looked uncomfortable. Leorio swallowed and stared back at the tv. 

He wanted to comment that it was a really nice color and looked good but he didn’t want to make his neighbor uncomfortable. 

(He was failing at keeping all those thoughts of Kurapika at bay.)

* * *

Leorio wrote all the moments off as just his cousin’s oddness and continued on. More shifts passed, and his battery kept dying. He put it on his list of things to get fixed as soon as he got his paycheck. 

He came home from class and dropped his stuff by the door. Gon was sitting forlornly on the couch and toying with a candy wrapper. Leorio pulled the mail out of his bag and strolled towards him. 

“You okay?” He asked as he absently flipped through the junk and bills.

Gon sighed. “How do you tell someone you like them?”

Leorio had had a full week since the previous question. He was an idiot. He should have gotten some sort of resource about this entire topic in that period of time. He had classmates who were coming back to school and had kids. He could have asked them for advice.

He offered a companionable smile that was a little too large.

“Having trouble talking about it?” He asked gently. 

Gon nodded. “Yeah… I don’t want to freak him out if he’s not… gay?”

“Or bi. Or a whole load of other things. There are a lot of options.” He shrugged. “Try mentioning that you think a character on tv or a game is attractive. If he freaks out you know he’s not someone to tell and probably not the greatest person.” He flipped through a few more letters. 

Gon immediately frowned. “Killua’s great! He wouldn’t be mean. Well,” he seemed to struggle, “not like that. He might call me an idiot but it wouldn’t be in a  _ mean _ way.”

“He call you idiot a lot?”

Gon nodded and blushed with a silly little smile. “All the time. He typically flicks my forehead when he does it.” 

“Really?” He couldn’t help the teasing lilt his tone took. Gon’s eyes went wide and his cheeks got darker. He sat down next to his cousin and bumped his arm. “You know, there’s no need to go quick, right? You have time. You can just be friends for a while.”

Gon frowned. “Why wouldn’t I want to date him?”

Leorio meant to answer him but there was a  _ damned _ postcard in the pile. Gon’s honey colored eyes instantly spotted it. He snatched it from Leorio’s hands with a huge smile.

“Dad?!” He read whatever his father had written and Leorio wanted to scream his hate to the high heavens as that happy smile faded.

“Uh,” his cousin mumbled, “I… I don’t think this was dad?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, I ended it there.


	10. Chapter 10

Leorio pushed up on his seat and snatched the postcard out of Gon’s hands. It didn’t have an address on it but it did have his and Gon’s name. It was written in an overly neat hand with random capitalization like some sort of ransom note. 

_sTill HerE, eYes WatchIng Leorio Leave. KeepIng Lots of Late shiftS nOw. nO escapiNg._

He stared at it, unnerved by the message until he realized there was a double message.

THEYWILLKILLOON.

They. Will. Kill. Soon.

He shot up and off the couch. His eyes darted to the front door as he fished his phone out of his pocket. He was suddenly, horribly, nauseous and shaky and every instinct in his body wanted him to grab Gon and get the hell away. The door was locked and he crossed the apartment to check on the deck door as well. It was also locked.

Gon got up from the couch and shuffled towards him with a nervous frown. 

“Leorio? What’s-”

He held up a finger to silence his cousin. “Just a minute, bud.” 

The panic was familiar and immediate but he was stronger than it. That was one of the first things he’d been taught. Acknowledge the panic and move past it. You couldn’t dwell on it. You gotta be productive despite it. He was in control. 

Leorio dialed the nonemergency line despite how _badly_ he wanted to just dial the police and make this into a very big deal because it felt like a very big fucking deal. He was in control of himself and the panic. They weren’t under immediate threat so he couldn’t justify dialing the emergency line.

He got the operator and tried to explain what had happened in precise, clear sentences. He couldn’t quite stop himself from pacing the length of his kitchen. His eyes kept darting to the windows but there was nothing there. They were alone.

It took him about fifteen minutes to make the entire thing clear and to relay the fact that he already had an open case to the less than helpful phone operator. Gon retreated back to the couch while Leorio tried to explain and sat with his arms draped over the back cushion and his head resting on his arms. He was frowning with very mild alarm which was probably good, if not naive. 

He started another loop around the kitchen while the operator typed loudly into the phone. She informed him that they wanted him to drop the postcard off tomorrow. He needed to bring Gon by as well so they could eliminate his finger prints.

Fan-fucking-tastic. He hadn’t wanted to bring Gon into this situation anymore than he already was.

The operator thanked him and Leorio hung up with a furious feeling in his gut. He dropped his phone on the counter so he didn’t end up hurling it across the apartment in nager. He still couldn’t afford another one. 

“Gon?” he tried to keep his tone cheerful, “what time did you get home?”

“An hour ago? I came straight here and finished my homework.” He fiddled with the frayed edge of the cushion. “Why?”

“Did you see anyone poking around?”

Gon shook his head. Leorio nodded. He hadn’t really expected anything else. He loved his cousin but he wasn’t the most observant about things he wasn’t really interested in. He had to do something a little more crazy.

“Do you know if Kurapika or Killua are home?”

Gon jumped up and jogged to the kitchen. He rapped his knuckles in a seemingly random pattern that Leorio was mildly annoyed to understand. 

A response came about ten seconds later.

Gon looked over his shoulder with a small smile. “They’re home.” 

“Okay… Stay here, lock the door after I leave, hold onto your phone, and don’t open the door until I come back. Understand?”

Gon nodded, his lips dipping down in a worried frown. Leorio stuck the postcard in his bag and went to the door. He got it unlocked before he realized he’d left his own phone on the counter. He dashed back and snatched it up. Gon watched him, obviously confused but not too scared. Yet. Though, to be fair, Leorio wasn’t sure anything had ever scared Gon.

“Be right back.” He slipped out of the apartment and waited until he heard the click of the lock. He crossed the narrow hallway and gathered his courage. He had to know. There was no other way. 

He knocked on Hisoka’s door and tried not to shudder. 

It took about a minute for The door to open. Hisoka was in a pink tank top, with white booty shorts and a pink apron over his clothes. He had flour on his cheek and glitter all over his face and hair.

“Leorio,” Hisoka purred with a delighted smile, “what do I owe this pleasure to?” He dragged his gaze over Leorio’s still scrub covered form and smirked. “Did you have a fight with Kurapika?”

“Never mind, did you see anyone weird hanging around my apartment?”

HIsoka’s smirk faded into something that was almost serious. “I’m sorry?”

Leorio motioned towards his apartment. “My apartement.” He huffed impatiently, “have you seen anyone weird by it? Anyone unusual?”

“Other than our resident teacher and his ‘brother’?” Hisoka didn’t make any movements but Leorio could hear the quotation marks around the word. He knew the man was trying to rile him up and he wasn’t going to fall for it. He simply didn’t have the time or available brain space for it. 

“Yes. Anything?”

Hisoka shook his head no. “Should I be watching?”

Leorio took a step back, his shoes clicking loudly in the hallway. “Yes. Thanks.” He _immediately_ regretted that response. He didn’t need Hisoka watching them. Not while Gon was living-

A loud and very lewd moan echoed out of the dark apartment. Leorio’s eyes widened and Hisoka’s smile turned vicious. His cheeks flushed as the sound got louder.

Hisoka leaned a little closer, his eyes intent. “Do you want to come inside, Leorio?”

There were _so_ many things he could say to that, but nothing would come close to describing just how unappealing that idea was.

“No.” He took another step back and to the side. “Enjoy your evening.” He turned on his heel and marched away. The door clicked shut and he did not look back and did not listen to the unnecessarily loud laugh and pleasured moans. 

He knocked on Kurapika’s door and tried to get his breathing back under control. Now that he wasn’t in front of Hisoka’s horrible and disturbing self the panic was churning his stomach again. He couldn’t help but glance around the hallway. He was still the only one in it. 

He knocked again. Kurapika tugged the door open with a frown that promptly lifted into a pleased smile only to drop right back into a frown.

“Leorio? Are you okay?” The teacher reached for him but paused. Leorio wished he’d continued because he could use some comfort. He felt jittery and sick. 

“Have you seen anyone weird hanging out near my apartment?”

Kurapika’s frown smoothed out into an utterly blank, unreadable, expression. “Weird?”

Leorio nodded and wondered if he was phrasing his question strangely because no one seemed to be getting what he was asking. “Yeah? Like tonight.” 

Kurapika shook his head. “No, not today or tonight. Why?”

He glanced around uncomfortably but he was still alone. He couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched now. It just… It was probably just the postcard getting in his head but he felt like he was being watched. Like something was tracking him. 

He didn’t like being in the open hallway. It felt unprotected and too exposed. 

He was vaguely aware that his heart rate was increasing. If he didn’t find a way to calm down he’d end up with a panic attack by the end of the night.

Kurapika grabbed his elbow and tugged him into the apartment. There was the strong scent of mint tea and cinnamon in the air. He breathed it in and felt the tight twist of his stomach loosen slightly. Kurapika guided him to the couch and sat him down. 

He leaned towards him, blond hair falling in his eyes. “What’s going on? Is it the letters again? The case you opened?”

He nodded. “I, uh, think Ging messed up.”

Kurapika’s brow furrowed. “Ging? How?”

Leorio dropped his head in his hands and exhaled tiredly. He felt shaky and he hated that feeling. 

“He… He has a tendency to make enemies.”

“He’s an asshole.” Kurapika offered and Leorio nodded adamantly.

“Yeah! He takes advantage of people. He tends to use them and then drop them when it’s convenient. I think…” He huffed out another breath and leaned back. The couch was so much more comfortable than it looked. “I think he pissed someone off and they’re trying to scare him through us.”

Kurapika raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “That seems like a poorly thought out plan.”

“It’d be great if Ging actually gave a fuck about his son.”

Kurapika’s gaze hardened. He had a generally unhappy expression-not intentionally, it was just the way his face rested -but this was angry and cold. It gave him his first proper look of what an actually angry Kurapika would look like and it was frightening. 

“So not only has he failed to do the utter minimum for his child, he has also managed to bring him to an enemies attention.” 

Leorio exhaled loudly. “Yeah. I don’t know what to do.”

“I assume the police have not offered any aid?”

“They’ve opened a case and they want the postcard.” He sucked in a breath and continued. “But I don’t know if they’re going to do something and I don’t know what I can do because I haven’t noticed anything weird and I can’t keep leaving Gon alone but I also can’t move my shifts or I’ll get in trouble and I can’t risk my scholarship.” He sucked in another, slightly shakier, breath. “But I can’t just not do anything because what if someone tries something and-”

He cut off abruptly as Killua wandered into the room with his signature bored frown. “Hey, old man. Where’s Gon?”

“Doing his homework.” He paused and narrowed his eyes. “Have you seen anyone weird hanging around him?”

Killua’s posture changed the slightest bit and his frown dipped down in concern. “Nah. Should I have?”

He shook his head. “No. Probably not.” He pinched the top of his nose and closed his eyes against the deep, throbbing pain he was suddenly aware of. 

He needed to get up and make dinner and he couldn’t send Gon back to Mito because if Gon was being stalked he _couldn’t_ put them in danger and Grandma Abe still had cancer. Fuck Ging and his lousy parenting and his utter inability to give a damn about his fantastic son. They shouldn’t have to put up with any of this.

And he’d just dragged Kurapika and Killua into this. He didn’t want to do that. Just because he found Kurapika calming and clarifying didn’t give him a right to drag the teacher into his drama. 

Kurapika wasn’t his to drag into anything. They were friends. Neighbors. 

God, it just wouldn’t stop. He hadn’t even bought groceries for their dinner. He had a shift in the morning and more classes and Gon was probably worrying next door. 

He stood up abruptly and offered them a smile that probably looked crazy. “Sorry to dump all of that on you. I gotta go make Gon some dinner.” He took a step back and very nearly fell on top of Kurapika’s coffee table. 

Kurapika caught him and helped right him once more. He was stronger than he looked.

“Join us.” The blond coaxed with a charming smile. “It won’t be any trouble to make a little extra.”

He shook his head, guilt churning in his chest. “Nah, don’t worry.”

“Please, we’d be happy to have you.”

He sidestepped the table. “I’ve already intruded enough. I’ll just get take out or something.”

“Leorio,” Kurapika reached towards him again. “It would be our pleasure to have you.”

He took another step back. He was still in his scrubs and he probably stank. He had to fill Gon in on everything and he just couldn’t impose on them again. They’d already put up with _so_ much. 

“Killua, let Gon know-” Leorio got past the table and couch and Kurapika’s hand snaked out to snag his wrist. “Please, I insist you join us.”

“It’s fine,” he insisted even though he did not want to go back to his apartment and eat more takeout and deal with the empty space. “I don’t want to be any trouble.”

Kurapika stepped closer to him, eyes sincere and smile soft. “Leorio, you aren’t trouble. Please,” he added and shuffled closer, “eat with us.”

Leorio’s heart thumped _hard._ He clamped down on all the errant feelings and pulled on every ounce of the emotional doctor training he had. He’d been ignoring those thoughts and emotions for a reason. Kurapika was dangerous and not someone you could just like. Well, at least not for Leorio. No. He was someone you fell in love with and if he kept making special teas and listening, and offering so much support… Leorio was only so strong. He’d start to pay attention to those feelings and-

He didn’t want to fall down that path. Not when it was so uncertain and he had so many other things to focus on. He couldn’t assume Kurapika would even be interested. The teacher was neat and punctual and put together in ways Leorio wasn’t. 

He took another step back with his heart pounding in his ears. He didn’t hear Killua knocking on the wall. 

“Please,” Killua asked again, voice soft and coaxing, “it would mean a lot to me.” The blond’s hand brushed against his own. “At least have a cup of tea?”

“He brewed it for you.” Killua added from the kitchen. Kurapika _blushed_ and shot his brother a quick glare. Killua ignored it and went to unlock the deck door with a soft smile. Gon climbed onto the deck and Leorio knew he had lost any chance of returning to his own apartment.

He could hold onto control for a little longer. Probably.


	11. Chapter 11

Kurapika dragged him to the table and set to making him a cup of tea while Gon and Killua retreated to Killua’s bedroom. His cousin had a silly, shy, smile as he followed the white-haired teen and Leorio tried not to be envious. He had no doubt that Killua was crazy about Gon and once those two finally had the conversation they’d have a lot of fun together.

(He was going to need to have that bird and bee talk sooner than later. God, Gon was going to ask  _ so _ many questions. He just knew it.)

Kurapika passed him his tea as what smelled like soup came to a boil on the stove. 

“Has this happened often? Ging making enemies?”

Leorio sipped his tea and avoided eye contact. Kurapika had lovely eyes and he was too tired to keep from thinking that. He just needed to eat dinner and he could go back to the sort of safety of his apartment. 

“Ging is a problem. He…” Leorio blew out a nosy breath and propped his head in his arm. “He looks at life to try and figure out what  _ he _ can get. He makes you feel like you’re having the time of your life and then he leaves you in ruins.”

He tugged the mug close and let it warm his fingers. “I grew up with the heartache he’d left in his wake so I was never taken in. I’m one of the lucky ones. I’d be mildly indifferent to him if it wasn’t for Gon. But...”

“I cannot imagine leaving family like that.”

Leorio nodded and did not look at the way Kurapika’s eyes were large and sincere. He needed a nap.

He took a long drink of the tea and his shoulders relaxed. He could feel tension draining out of his body like it was being irresistibly drawn away. He slumped a little and stretched his legs out. He inhaled the scent of the tea and wondered if it was the tea that made him feel calm. Or perhaps the apartment. Everything was in its proper place and it just felt easier to think over here.

“I should grab some study material.” He pushed back from the table and made the mistake of looking at Kurapika. “Got to, uh, get a paper. Assignments.” 

"Alright." Kurapika watched him rise and watched him cross the room. He had a soft expression that Leorio wasn't sure what to do with. He exited into the Hall and went to his apartment in a bit of a blur.

Leorio locked the door immediately and slumped against it. He rubbed his hand over his tired face and hit his forehead dully against the door.

He had done it again. He had once again agreed to spend time with that man. He had once again gotten himself invited for dinner and stuck spending too much time with Kurapika and his soft voice. 

Leorio shoved away from the door and trudged to his room. He reached for his laptop and stopped when he caught sight of his arm.

No. He was not going back to Kurapika’s like this, damn it. He was not going in dirty, smelly, scrubs. He was going to put some effort in this time. He probably had twenty minutes until dinner was ready. He could take a really quick shower and get changed. 

He didn’t really think there was a chance of anything - and it was probably a  _ terrible _ idea regardless, but he was not going to waste the opportunities presented to him. 

Leorio chucked all his clothing to the side and dove into his shower. He cleaned up as quickly as he could and just shoved his wet hair to the side.

He pulled on a dark shirt and his only clean slacks. They weren’t date nice, but they were a step up from his causal clothes. He gave himself a look over and decided it was as good as it was going to get on such little time. He headed towards his front door only to double back and grab his laptop. 

He took a deep breath and left the apartment. He locked it behind himself, glanced around the empty hall, tried to get past the creepy feeling of being watched. 

He rapped his knuckles against the door twice and Kurapika was opening it back up. The teacher’s eyes went wide as he stepped aside to let Leorio in the room. 

“Sorry it took so long,” he murmured in mild embarrassment, “I wanted to get out of my shift stuff. Felt gross.” 

“Of course.” Kurapika replied, his eyes darting over Leorio’s tall form. He tried to figure out what sort of a gaze it was but it was too quick to decipher. “Please, make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.” The blond shuffled past him and towards the back room Leorio had never seen, which he could only assume was Kurapika’s room. There was a  _ large _ part of him that wanted to know what that room looked like. He wanted to know more about Kurapika and he had a feeling a lot of the teacher’s personality was hiding in his room.

Leorio shook the curiosity off and went to the table. He set his laptop up and opened his student portal with a sigh. There were always too many assignments. He got pulled into the work and didn’t notice the minutes pass by until Kurapika was passing by him on his way to the kitchen.

He glanced up, intending to ask if he could help, and quickly lost his breath. Kurapika had been wearing a paint stained shirt and some faded jeans a moment ago. He’d had an old apron on and looked homey and comfortable. Now… Well, he’d changed. He had on a slim fit sweater, dark blue and soft looking. A pair of dark slacks hugged his hips and his hair had been swept out of his eyes. He had on earrings that Leorio had not noticed before and now couldn’t take his eyes off of. 

Thank god Kurapika was not staring at him. He was stuck ogling the attractive blond and he couldn’t seem to blink. 

“Hey!” Gon and Killua charged out of their room and Leorio made a mildly choked noise. He sputtered and dropped his gaze to the laptop again. His cheeks felt a little warm but he didn’t think anyone would notice. 

“Dinner smells great.” Killua complimented with a sly smile that promised trouble. Gon sidled up beside him and eyed Leorio. He nodded his head and gave him a thumbs up that was not subtle and made something in Leorio utterly panic.

Thankfully, Kurapika wasn’t looking at either of them.

“Set the table, Killua.” Kurapika ordered as he finished with the soup. The lanky teen complied with Gon eagerly assisting. They both seemed to be in a great mood and he wondered absently if something had happened while they were in the other room or if it was just being in each other’s company that was such a mood improver.

The table was set and the soup passed out. Killua and Gon claimed the chairs on the opposite side of the table so Leorio and Kurapika were seated next to each other. Kurapika led the conversation at first, talking about his day and the teens quickly took over. They all tactfully avoided the postcard (Leorio had not been aware his boisterous cousin could be tactful) and any mention of Ging. 

Somehow they did discuss Hisoka and the fact that he’d apparently bought a tiny dog to go with his tiny cat. Gon was now desperate to meet them both. Killua promptly called him an idiot for the desire and flicked him in the head.

The teens ate swiftly, practically inhaling the soup, and then they retreated back to Killua’s bedroom. Leorio fiddled with the remnants of his soup and tried not to look too closely at Kurapika and his soft smile. He did have a lot of homework to do and Kurapika’s everything was fairly distracting.

The blond cleared the table, rejecting Leorio’s offer to help. Instead he brought him a fresh cup of tea.

“I’ll have Killua do the dishes later.” Kurapika sat down near him with his own laptop. “He didn’t assist with dinner so it’s only fair.”

“I let Gon do the dishes once and he broke my only coffee mug trying to see if it would spin in the sink.”

Kurapika raised an eyebrow. “Did it?”

He snorted and shrugged. “I think the handle messed him up.” 

His  _ friend _ (Leorio hoped if he thought it repeatedly the title would stick in his brain) smiled again and wrapped his long fingers around his own mug. Leorio swallowed and typed a random, nonsensical sentence just to sound like he was doing something. A thump echoed from Killua’s room followed by a fit of laughter.

They typed and drank, occasionally talking about something when it came to their minds. Leorio actually got a few assignments done and he could hear the laughter from Killua’s room slowly tapering off until it was nearly eleven. 

He had to be up early and Gon had school. He really needed to leave. He rose with a stretch (he might be crazy but he was pretty sure Kurapika watched him do it) and felt his back pop. 

“Gotta get Gon and get back.” He yawned as he finished the sentence and Kurapika huffed out a quiet laugh. The blond rose smoothly and followed him to Killua’s room. The two boys were on Killua’s bed, sides pressed together, watching an action anime. They’d claimed a blanket at some point and looked very near to falling asleep.

“Time to go?” Gon mumbled into Killua’s shoulder. Leorio nodded and the boys slipped off the bed. 

“I’ll take him back via the deck.” Killua offered with an exceptionally soft smile that Leorio was certain he didn’t realize he had. They stumbled off together and Leorio watched them go for a moment. He hoped things worked out for them. They seemed like a good fit and crushes when you were young were so awkward and -

Kurapika was staring at him. Leorio swallowed and offered him a mildly panicked smile. He promptly exited the room and went to his laptop as Gon and Killua disappeared from Kurapika’s deck. 

He wound his cord up and tucked it and the laptop under his side. Kurapika had followed him to the main room and was still watching him.

“Uh, thanks. I’ll, uh, see you later? Tomorrow?” 

Kurapika nodded, lips quirking up slightly. “Yes.”

He headed towards the door, heart pounding for some strange reason. He reached for the door knob-

“Leorio?” 

He blinked and turned towards the blond. Kurapika was staring at him. His friend’s lips lifted up in a slight smile when Leorio looked at him before the expression smoothed out. 

“Yeah?” He asked a little thickly.

“I’m glad you came over.”

Leorio blinked and temporarily lost control of his faculties. He smiled, and  _ flirted _ . “You always make a tempting offer.” 

Kurapika looked startled for all of a second before he was closing the distance between them. “I shall endeavor to continue doing so.” He murmured, lips spreading in a smile that was almost sly. It looked a little like Killua. 

“Right,” Leorio blurted and fumbled with the knob, “I don’t think you’ll have a problem there.” 

Kurapika reached forward and wrapped his hand around Leorio’s. He tightened it around the knob and twisted it so the door opened properly. He’d moved closer while he did it and Leorio could feel Kurapika’s body pressed against his back for a dizzying moment.

“Tomorrow, Leorio.” Kurapika murmured in a coaxing voice that made Leorio flush. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He released Leorio’s hand and stepped back, breaking the exhilarating contact.

Leorio stuttered a reply and returned to his apartment with a pounding heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a shorter chapter this week because thanksgiving ate into my writing time. I will eventually get these two together, lol.


	12. Chapter 12

Leorio didn’t stop thinking about it. (It being the way Kurapika’s hand had wrapped around his own.)

He thought about it while he tried to sleep. He thought about it while he was in class, and he only just managed _not_ to think about it during his shift. There was a kind of hurriedness during shifts that allowed him to push other thoughts away.

Leorio did find himself making a cup of tea during his break and wishing it were spearmint. 

He was assigned to work with Tonpa in the emergency ward and found himself staring at every blond that entered with a slightly panicked thump of his heart. 

Tonpa kept smirking at him and made him drop a tray of tools and Leorio felt he deserved a medal of some sort for the herculean effort it required of him to not punch the smug man.

And once again, Hilda failed him with a dead battery. He got a jump off a fellow student (Leorio would die before he asked Tonpa for another jump) and drove home.

He made dinner in a bit of a daze and couldn’t stop his eyes from darting to the deck door every few minutes.

_Tomorrow, Leorio._

Kurapika’s words kept floating through his mind. Everytime it replayed Kurapika’s tone got a little lower and a little more seductive. He could remember Kurapika peering up at him, long lashes making him look coy, and he’d feel his stomach swoop again.

“Leorio!”

Leorio jumped and dropped his spatula. Gon was standing beside him with wide eyes and a bowl of water. He blinked at his cousin in confusion and realized that his chicken was burning horribly and he was probably moments away from a grease fire. He sprang at the stove and lifted the pan up and off the burner. 

“Gon, turn that off.” He brought the pan to the sink and dropped it and the chicken in there.

Gon turned the burner off and watched him with a confused frown. Leorio eyed the bowl of water and shook his head.

“That wouldn’t work. You gotta use something like baking powder for a grease fire. Water’ll just make it worse.”

Gon shrugged like he didn’t really care. He probably didn’t. “What were you thinkin’ about? You looked really distracted.”

Leorio, much to his annoyance, blushed. He quickly turned back to the burnt chicken and tried to scrape it off the pan. 

“Nothing,” he lied. “I’m… thinking ‘bout work.” He could probably salvage half of this. He’d mix it with rice and some broccoli. Sure.

Gon had snuck up on him while he was distracted with chicken. 

“You sure?”

He jumped, _again_ and flung a bit of burnt chicken. He watched it flop into the other side of the sink and felt his shoulders fall a little. Fantastic. He’d gotten distracted again.

This was why he didn’t do crushes or interest. He had too much to do to be staring off into the distance and sighing. 

“It’s nothing, Gon.” He smiled and grabbed a plate out. “Would you rather sandwiches or somethin’ with rice?”

“Rice.” 

He nodded and missed the calculating way his cousin was watching him. He shivered uncomfortably but didn’t get why. 

* * *

The next day was no better. He spent too much time day dreaming and not enough frantically jotting down notes. He didn’t have a shift for once so he got to head home at a normal time. 

Hisoka was loitering outside his apartment and talking on the phone while he played with his keys. Leorio nodded in a mildly polite way and tried to hurry to his own apartment. 

“He asked about you.” Hisoka called with a completely unnecessary coo.

Leorio debated for a moment not saying anything but, dang it, he really did need to know who was talking about him. 

He turned around with a vague feeling of defeat. “Who asked for me?”

Hisoka had tilted his gem studded case away from his lips. “Who else? Our resident teacher.” Hisoka smirked coyly. Leorio hadn’t known that was a thing people could do. “He seemed to think you were in mild danger since he didn’t see you yesterday.” He hummed obnoxiously and Leorio deserved another award for not yelling.

“Thanks. I’ll check in.” He turned back to his own apartment and did not think about Kurapika’s hand and whispered words.

“He’s quite taken, you know.”

Leorio didn’t know and that was the problem. He certainly couldn’t trust Hisoka. The clown was probably just saying random shit for the fun of messing with Leorio’s life. At least Leorio’s utter failure of a social life was distracting the weirdo from Gon.

He got his door unlocked and slipped inside. The apartment was very quiet which meant Gon was either in the bathroom or not here. His bet was on the latter.

“Gon?” 

No answer. He dropped his bag by the door and sighed with mild irritation. He went to the kitchen to get some water and noticed there was a _note_ on the counter. His heart immediately rose to his throat and his hand clenched in worry for where Gon was. He snatched it up with his left hand and fumbled for his phone with his right hand.

_[Leorio! I’m at Killua’s so don’t worry. Please come over at exactly 5:30. Thanks, Gon.]_

He stared at, mildly concerned, and tried to figure out what was going on and why he would need to be over there at exactly 5:30. That gave him roughly twenty minutes. More than enough time to change and look nice but… Hmm. It smelled fishy to him. 

Whatever. He didn’t have a lot of options. He couldn’t just leave Gon over there so he’d have to head over eventually. Might as well make it 5:30.

Leorio dropped the note and raced to his room. He changed into five different outfits and tossed them all in a pile on the bed in rejection. He flipped through his closet and finally decided he was going on all out. He could make an excuse if anyone asked.

He pulled the suit out and tugged it on as quickly as he could. He tied his tie, considered his hair and decided a quick refresh wouldn’t go awry. He got it looking decent and had thirty seconds to spare. He dashed back to the kitchen, retrieved his phone, chomped down on a few mints and darted out of his apartment.

Smack into Kurapika. 

The blond was dressed in a pair of slacks and a button down blue shirt that made his hair look brighter. He had his earrings on (Leorio couldn’t stop noticing them now) and a messenger bag was slung casually over his shoulder.

Leorio had not been prepared and he just knew he was staring with eyes that were too wide and probably had his mouth open. Kurapika looked fantastic in blue and damn, the earrings were way too distracting.

“Le-Leorio,” Kurapika stuttered, “Is everything… alright?”

Leorio nodded and smiled like a loon. “Yep! Just going over to pick up Gon.” (His smile was so wide. Oh god, somebody kill him and free him from this madness.)

“Gon?” Kurapika schooled his features. “Of course.” He strode to his door and unlocked it with a shy smile. “How was your day?”

Leorio couldn’t recall a single thing that had happened. “Same as usual.” He offered as Kurpaika shoved the door open.

Chaos was beyond the door. Utter chaos.

Gon and Leorio were in the middle of the room with a bucket of water, a mop, and there was the distinct smell of smoke and burnt food in the air. The table was set with fancy dishes, there was a candle laying on its side in a puddle of wax, and a few wilting flowers were sitting in a wine glass.

There was burnt food sitting on the counter and it was very obvious the boys had been in the middle of cleaning something up. 

“Shit!” Killua shouted as Gon tried to hide the bucket of water behind himself. 

“What-” Kurapika started only to sputter to a stop as he saw the candle. “Did… did you burn the table.”

“You’re _early._ ” Gon accused with a ridiculous pout. The smoke detector overhead began to beep shrilly and Gon jumped. He darted into the kitchen and reached for the stove to grab a metal pan off the burner. Every parental instinct in Leorio sprang loudly to life.

“Gon!” He yelped and dashed forward only to slip on the water that was all over the floor and go careening into the dining room. He collided with a chair and went hurtling over it and onto the floor. The bad news was that he’d probably bruised two thirds of himself. The good news was Gon had stepped away from the stove and the likely scalding hot pan.

Kurapika was suddenly at his side, thin hands reaching for Leorio’s arms and hauling him up gently like he hadn’t just windmilled across the floor as if he was in some cartoon. 

Worried eyes peered into his. “Are you alright?”

Leorio swallowed thickly. “Perfect!” He managed. 

“Damn it.” Killua muttered as he went to the kitchen and grabbed a hot pad. “You guys were earlier than we expected.” He moved the pan off the stove and turned the burner off. Gon started waving a plate at the smoke detector to dissipate the smoke.

“What were you trying to do?” Kurapika asked quietly as he assisted Leorio to his feet. Once he felt mildly steady he righted the chair. 

“Nothing!” Both boys chorused together. There was no surer sign that they were lying. 

“Killua.” Kurapika warned and turned towards him. 

“We wanted to make you both dinner.” Gon offered. He was rocking on his heels and Leorio couldn’t help but feel like his cousin was only telling part of the truth. He frowned in confusion and then, like a smack in the head, the truth hit him.

Flowers, fancy dishes, candles… The boys had been setting up _a date._

Leorio immediately flushed a bright red and spluttered. (Please, please, _please_ , don’t let Kurapika figure that out.)

The blond’s eyes darted to him curiously. He tried not to stare back but it was too hard not to. Kurapika’s gaze was alluring, damn it. They stared at each other, stuck in some sort of weird loop, and Leorio couldn’t quite breathe.

“Killua, Gon, might I have a moment with Leorio?”

(Shit. He knew.)

Both teens immediately vacated the room. Kurapika moved into the kitchen and waved his hand towards the smoke detector. Leorio stood rooted to his spot by the table for a few seconds before he gave himself a mental shake. He followed the blond, stretched up, and pressed the mute button. 

Kurapika looked torn between annoyance that he was tall enough to do that and gratitude that the horrendous beeping had stopped. Leorio noticed the signs of a grease fire and was mildly pleased to see that someone had used baking powder on it. Hopefully Gon had listened to his mini lecture the previous day.

Leorio had no idea what to say. He had no idea why he’d followed Kurapika into the kitchen and he was in this stupid suit and _god,_ what would Kurapika be thinking?

“I imagine you know what they were intending?” Kurapika said softly, his eyes on Leorio even though Leorio wasn’t looking at him. 

“The boys? Who can-”

“Leorio.”

He swallowed and slumped. “Fine. I got the picture. It looked like a date.” He huffed and felt a sudden swell of irritation. This was all Kurapika’s fault for being attractive. “Sorry about that, okay? They’re both ridiculous.”

Kurapika looked surprised. “Ridiculous?”

“I didn’t wanna embarrass you. I told Gon you had to be careful with this sort of thing until you knew how the other person swung but he probably wasn’t listening.”

“And which way do you swing, Leorio?”

He blushed and averted his eyes. “Both?” He blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why Gon thought this was okay because the last thing I wanna do is make you uncomfortable.”

“Leorio-”

“And I know we only just became friends-”

“Leorio-”

“And that you probably don’t even think of me like that-”

“Leorio-”

“Even though I kinda got the vibe that-but it doesn’t matter because this was entirely-”

“Leorio!”

“Uncalled for and I promise I’ll have a talk with -”

“Leorio!” Kurapika grabbed his arms and stepped into his space. His mouth clicked shut in surprise as the blond glared up at him. “Will you _please,_ stop talking for a moment so I can speak?”

“I-”

Kurapika silenced him with the force of his glare. “Leorio, why do you imagine Killua would attempt to set us up if he didn’t suspect I was attracted to you?”

Leorio’s brain just stopped processing things. He stared at Kurapika in what was probably an unflattering way, his mouth open, and tried to figure out what he’d just heard.

He, scrub and bodily fluid wearing Leorio, was attractive? To _Kurapika_?

“Huh?”

Kurapika shook his head. “Leorio, would you like to get dinner? Together?”

“Together?” (What was happening?!)

Kurapika nodded, his lips quirking up in a smile. “Together. A date.”

“Yes!” He answered way too loudly and way too quickly. Leorio couldn’t care about his volume though because _holy-shit,_ Kurapika had just asked him out. Hell yeah! He was going to wear this suit all the time now. 

Kurapika stepped a little closer and Leorio realized just how much shorter the blond was than him. 

(Kurapika wanted to go out!)

“Leorio?” Kurapika murmured and Leorio’s heart skipped a happy beat. He lifted his hand and crooked his finger in a ‘come hither’ motion. Leorio bent down because there was nothing else he could do.

Kurapika’s lips spread in a soft smile and that was all the warning Leorio got before the blond was stretching up towards him. His breath hitched audibly, his heart thumped hard enough that he could hear it ringing in his ears, and he couldn’t move as Kurapika drew nearer and nearer and-

Soft lips pressed against his cheek as a warm hand that had been monopolizing his daydreams wrapped around his own. Kurapika lowered back on his heels and smiled, a soft, bashful smile that stole Leorio’s breath, and blushed.

“Come on, Leorio.” Kurapika murmured and led Leorio out of the kitchen. “Killua,” He called over his shoulder as he tugged his wallet out of his bag. (He hadn’t let go of Leorio’s hand and Leorio’s brain was kind of short circuiting about that) “We’re heading out. I’ll have a pizza delivered. You know the drill. And clean the dishes.”

They left the apartment hand in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god.  
>  _Oh my god._  
>  I got them to go out on a date. I didn't think I'd ever get here.


	13. Chapter 13

Leorio was not certain how he ended up in Kurapika’s car. It was a lot nicer than Hilda, with working windows, working heat, seat warmers, and bluetooth. Kurapika put on a playlist of Heaven’s Arena.

“Do you have any allergies I should be aware of?” Kurapika asked softly while Leorio tried to get his fingers to work long enough to get his seat belt buckled. He had not anticipated this night ending with a date. 

His cousin had tried to set him up. What kind of failure did he look like? God, he’d be so embarrassed if Kurapika wasn’t smiling all softly like-

Oops.

“Uh, no. No allergies. I don’t like really hot stuff.” 

Kurapika nodded and backed the car out of the apartment’s spot. Leorio tried to shrink himself so he didn’t take up quite so much room in the not particularly large car.

“Do you enjoy italian? I know of a lovely place nearby.”

Leorio nodded and smiled a bit too widely. “Love it.” 

The restaurant was less than five minutes away. It was a small cottage looking place with a few cars in the lot and an adorable little herb garden by the front entrance. Kurapika slipped out of his car gracefully while Leorio and his gangly body was anything but. Not that he was envious of the short blond’s ease. Nope. 

His eyes darted up as they walked towards the building and scanned the rustic letters. “La Melodia del Cibo?” He asked as he read the presumably italian words.

Kurapika smiled fondly and reached for the door. “The Melody of Food.” He translated as Leorio entered. His nose was immediately graced with the hearty smell of tomato sauce, meat, pasta, and herbs. His stomach growled appreciatively while he scanned the brick interior. They’d lit the rooms with a warm light and had plants hanging along the ceiling. They had booths on the left and tables on the right. A young woman was running the front table and she immediately beamed when she saw Kurapika.

“Pika! It’s so good to see you! You’ve got great timing, she’s performing tonight.” Her eyes turned on Leorio and widened a little. “Table for two?” 

Kurapika nodded, his cheeks turning slightly pink. “Yes, please.” The girl beamed and slipped out from behind the desk. She grabbed two menus and motioned for them to follow her. Leorio did and tried to focus on where he was going but his eyes kept darting back to Kurapika’s pink cheeks. She led them to a quiet table tucked away at the corner of the room and set the menus on it. She offered Kurapika a somewhat giddy smile and left them alone. 

There were candles on the table and they were far enough away from everyone else that it felt very private.

It was at that moment that it really, and truly, hit Leorio that he was on a  _ date _ with Kurapika. The blond was smiling at him softly, eyes warm and somehow crimson in the candlelight. It should probably look frightening but it just made Leorio feel warm. Kurapika’s earrings were reflecting the light and both together made him look like he was sparkling. It was an alluring site and Leorio didn’t think he’d ever been quite so aware of someone else’s gaze.

“So,” He spluttered, his mind promptly blanking because  _ holy shit, Leorio was on a date with Kurapika _ , “how was your day?”

“It was a teacher workday which means I had a chance to redecorate my room.”

Leorio nodded, trying not to notice all the freckles on Kurapika’s nose. “How’d you decorate it?”

Kurapika’s lips quirked up. “Shouldn’t you look at the menu, Leorio?” His eyes seemed to be dancing in the candlelight and Leorio’s mouth felt a little dry.

“Uh.” He swallowed, eyes darting to the open menu that he didn’t feel focused enough to read. He blinked and realized it was in italian. “Actually,” he smirked and decided he’d try and spin this as a flirt instead of mild panic. He’d make a fool of himself if he tried to order, “I think I’ll let you pick. You like this place? I’ll try your favorite thing.”

Kurapika nodded and slid the menus towards the edge of the table. The bell over the door dinged to alert another customer arriving. The hostess rushed forward to greet them and led them towards the opposite end of the restaurant. Leorio watched her hurry and took the moment to steady his nerves. He was a medical student. He could handle stress. He was learning how to bring people back from the brink. Lives were in his hands. He could handle a date.

Kurapika propped his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “So, what did you do today, Leorio?”

Lives. He saved lives. He was the king of control. 

Leorio smiled and leaned back in his own chair. “I went to my lectures and got out of shift duty.” He laughed a little and shook his head. “I almost avoided a conversation with Hisoka but you can’t always get lucky.”

“He’s taken to chatting with me more recently as well.” Kurapika murmured. “Not exactly a welcome development.”

“Blame Gon. I am.”

Kurapika chuckled quietly. “Your cousin is charming.”

“Can’t imagine where he gets it. Had to be his mom.”

“I don’t know,” Kurapika said, eyes locked on Leorio’s face in an alluring gaze that made Leorio feel kind of light-headed, “I think I can see the family charm.”

The bell ringed again and a group of five people strolled up to the front. The hostess frowned and said something Leorio couldn’t hear. She darted towards the back and came back a moment later with an extra chair. She brought it towards the waiting customers and motioned for them to follow her. She went to the other side of the restaurant, again, and put them at a table for four. She added the extra chair and left them to their devices. She winked at Kurapika as she returned to her station and Leorio’s eyes went wide.

Kurapika flushed a bright red as he also realized what the hostess was doing. They were apparently going to get this part of the restaurant to themselves.

Kurapika glimpsed up at him before locking his gaze on the flickering candle.

“So,” Leorio drawled, there was something comforting about not being the only nervous one, “how do you know this place? I get the feeling it isn’t just a close restaurant.”

Kurapika’s eyes darted to the side and he fiddled with the hem of his sleeve. “Their daughter.” He answered and Leorio, to his surprise, didn’t feel any worry. No one was dumb enough to take someone to their exes restaurant. Whatever his connection was it wouldn’t be bad.

“Yes?” He prodded when Kurapika went quiet. 

“Melody.” Kurapika supplied mildly begrudgingly. “She has been my best friend since high-school.” 

Leorio’s lips quirked up in a large smile. He could picture a high school Kurapika. He was probably the most dramatic, bitchy teen imaginable. God, he’d have been a hoot. He wouldn’t have gotten along with broke, nerdy Leorio but it would have been fun to watch.

“Really?”

Kurapika nodded and straightened as the hostess came back to their table. She picked up the menus and offered them a genuine smile.

“Ready?”

“Ragù A La Bolognese.” Kurapika stated decisively. Leorio hadn’t had much italian but he was pretty sure that was some kind of meat pasta. The hostess nodded and Leorio saw her name was Cadence. She gave Kurapika not subtle wink and went back to tell the chefs their order.

Kurapika flushed all the way to his ears. 

“How’d you meet her?” Leorio asked once Cadence had retreated. 

Kurapika shrugged and tried not to meet Leorio’s eyes. The blush was quite endearing and Leorio wanted to see it happen more often. “I… I met her during a rehearsal. I was a stage hand and she was the flutist.”

Melody, as it turned out, was quite a musician. She was gifted in a multitude of instruments and was one of the few people Killua trusted enough to sleep around.

That particular info drop made Leorio pause but he didn’t bring attention to the fact. So what if his mind was reeling that he’d apparently earned Killua’s trust at some point. It wasn’t a big thing. 

(It absolutely was and god help him, he would not let that teen down.)

Kurapika drifted the conversation back to Leorio and his practice. He explained that he was going for General Medicine and that he wanted to open his own practice someday. He wasn’t quite ready to admit that he wanted to open one in his old neighborhood so the kids could finally have the help they needed.

Kurapika watched him like he knew any way and Leorio couldn’t decide if he did or didn’t like that feeling. He changed the subject to college as quickly as he could and found out that Kurapika had gone to the same college but (being a show off) he’d graduated high school young and got a head start.

The Ragù A La Bolognese was brought out and Leorio’s mouth genuinely started to water because hot  _ damn _ did that smell good. He took an eager bite and remembered he was on a date. He straightened and tried to look like he hadn’t been mere seconds away from shoveling all the food into his mouth. 

It was warm in the way that home cooking always seemed to manage. There was a depth to the pasta that you could only get from a long time cooking the tomato sauce. There was the slightest hint of wine, and the meat was tender enough that he half expected it to melt on his tongue. He couldn’t identify half the stuff he was tasting because he had no culinary skills but it was fantastic. It was something he’d be thinking about for a long time. He’d be coming back here just to smell this.

“This,” he said once he’d swallowed his bite, “is  _ fantastic _ .”

Kurapika beamed. “They’ll be happy to hear that.”

Cadence came back out with a bottle of wine that she sat on the table with a pronounced wink. “On the house, Pika.”

Kurapika was not subtle in his  _ please go away _ look. Leorio had to hide his grin behind his cup. Kurapika ignored the beaming Cadence and poured the wine while his friend returned to her post. 

A few minutes later a woman with a large hat and a long, blue dress came out from the back. She went to a little stage they had set up near cadence and sat on the stool. Kurapika smiled at her appearance (Leorio had never seen him smile so much and he was getting addicted to the sight) and he sat up at attention. 

She drew out a flute and Leorio knew he was seeing his date’s best friend.

He couldn’t see much of her, but he recognized the signs of severe burns even with his limited exposure. He’d seen the pictures and read the accounts. He’d had it on his exams. 

She lifted the flute and glanced around the restaurant. Her eyes landed on Kurapika and a beautiful smile lifted her lips. She glanced at Leorio and stared back at Kurapika with a raised eyebrow. Whatever that meant, it made Kurapika blush and he nodded in what he probably thought was a subtle way.

Leorio watched the exchange with a flutter of nerves. Had Kurapika talked about him? The thought had never occurred to him until now. Huh…

What would he have said? Leorio had talked about Kurapika to his classmates. He’d talked about him as the annoying neighbor and more recently as the friendly neighbor/hot neighbor.

Melody, as it turned out, was a phenomenal flutist. He’d heard a few concerts at his campus but nothing came near to the heart she put in each note. Leorio found himself transfixed like he was under some spell and it was making his entire body feel calmer while also his heart was aching with each note. It was beautiful and sad; melancholic and hopeful and it brought tears to his eyes.

“She’s quite something, isn’t she.” 

Leorio nodded, utterly spell bound by the performance. He didn’t realize the tears had slipped down his cheek until Kurapika’s hand was settling on top of his hand where he was resting it on the table. 

“Leorio,” The blond murmured and Leorio tore his eyes away. He swallowed and found himself staring at Kurapika’s open, admiring gaze. His throat felt thick for entirely different reasons now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not speak italian and I humbly apologize if I butchered it. Please let me know and I'll correct it.
> 
> I've been waiting to bring Melody in for ages now. I made up Cadence but she's intended to play the part of the friend Melody lost to the Sonata.


	14. Chapter 14

Leorio sort of managed to get a hold of himself before the next song. He discreetly whipped at his eyes and finished most of the pasta. Kurapika watched him for a moment with a softness to his gaze that made Leorio extremely self conscious

“She’s, uh, really something.”

Kurapika nodded, his earrings caught the light and made his hair look glittery. It was enticing in a way that was uniquely Kurapika. 

“Do you play any instruments?”

For a moment, Leorio was extremely tempted to lie. He’d been too poor to afford any lessons. He’d also had to help his parents with work so he’d never had a chance for any after school activities. 

“Nah, the only instruments my hands can use are a scalpel.” He joked even though he wasn’t going into surgery. 

Kurapika offered him a small, judgement free, smile. “I was taught the violin though I didn’t take many lessons.”

Leorio could imagine Kurapika playing the violin. It was a lovely mental image. Would Kurapika be a swayer or would he stand still? Leorio thought he’d be a swayer. He could imagine Kurapika’s body moving to the music and-

Huh. Leorio kinda wanted to take Kurapika dancing now. Actually, he could play some music at his apartment. Gon would absolutely be down for an impromptu dance party. They’d have fun and probably wouldn’t pay  _ too  _ much attention to him and Kurapika.

He was going to do that now. Maybe not tonight, but soon. 

Melody finished her second piece and retired back to the kitchen area. Leorio asked about Kurapika’s class again and found out that the blond had decorated it with fantastic animals and far away countries. His children loved adventures and they’d pretend to go on safaris to find them. 

Leorio avoided talking too much about his day because hospital work wasn’t good dinner conversation and steered the conversation towards college instead.

“By the way,” Kurapika hummed once they finished the main course, “when did you figure out what my embarrassing brother was trying to do?”

“You mean the dinner? As soon as I walked in and the table was pretty much on fire.”

Kurapika smiled without showing his teeth and fiddled with the stem of his glass. “That will be fun to clean up but I meant when did you realize they were trying to set us up?”

Leorio tilted his head. “You mean before tonight?”

Kurapika nodded. Leorio leaned back in his chair and thought about the past week. His cheeks heated up and his eyes went wider. How had he missed that.

“They’re unbelievable.”

Kurapika sipped at his wine. “They-” he trailed off as Cadence approached the table with two desserts. 

“Torrone Semifreddo for the new couple.” She sang as she set it in front of them. “On the house, of course.” She winked at them both and skipped back to her station. Kurapika’s cheeks were pink and Leorio was such a fan of that color on the short blond.

It was, of course, delicious. Creamy and crunchy, slightly tangy and infused with honey. He was never particularly adventurous with food - he’d been too poor to eat a variety of things and then too tired. This was something he’d put on the list to make an effort for. 

Kurapika watched him as he ate and it probably should have made him feel awkward but it just made him feel warm. There was something heavy and serious in the blond’s eyes that was distracting. The conversation slowed down as they ate until they were just sneaking glances at each other.

“Kurapika?” A soft, feminie voice called from the back and drew their attention. Melody moved towards them with a happy smile. He could see the signs of 3rd degree burns and reconstructive surgery along her face and neck.

“Melody!” Kurapika rose up and offered the musician a hug. She returned it with a cheerful smile and looked at Leorio with an appraising glance.

Kurapika released his friend and motioned towards the table. “This is Leorio. He’s the medical student.”

“Your neighbor.” Melody confirmed. She approached the table and offered her hand. Leorio rose up, trying not to look as tall as he was, and accepted it. 

“It’s lovely to meet you. Your music is extraordinary.”

Melody’s eyes brightened. “Thank you. I’ve heard a great deal about you and your cousin.” She motioned for Leorio to take his seat again. 

“Gon?” She nodded. “Hopefully the good stuff.” he chuckled. 

“Of course.” Melody murmured and eyed where Leorio’s hand had moved to cover Kurapika’s without thinking about it. He felt himself blush and looked up to see Kurapika’s cheeks were also pink. He opened his mouth to try and distract only to hear his phone ping with a text alert. He ignored it and two, three, four more pings echoed through the air.

Gon?!

Panic immediately surged in his gut. Something horrible had to have happened and  _ oh god,  _ what if his cousin was bleeding out?

He jerked and pulled his phone free with a twist of terror in his gut and thumb it on. He didn’t recognize the… number…

“Oh my god.” He muttered as he realized Hisoka had somehow gotten his number.

_ [Enjoying your date with teacher? :-* Did you get detention yet? ;-) ] _

What had he done to deserve this? He was on his first date in so long! Why did his creepy neighbor have to mess things up when he wasn’t even here?

“Is it Gon?” Kurapika asked with worry in his own voice. Leorio shook his head. 

“I think it’s Hisoka.” He scrolled down to see the rest of the messages.

_ [Just wanted to let you know someone left a package at your door~ ] _

_ [Not a mail person, if that wasn’t obvious.] _

What the hell? Some random person had dropped something at his door? Was it the postcard person?

_ [ >:3 don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on the youngsters.] _

_ [Make sure and enjoy dessert (*^3^)\~* ] _

“Someone weird left something at my door.” He supplied. A glance up let him know Kurapika understood what he was trying to say. He looked worried. “The kids are okay. He said he’d watch them.” Leorio raised an eyebrow and Kurapika’s eyes widened. Safe was an overstatement. Hisoka was at the opposite end of the ‘safe’ spectrum. 

Kurapika nodded like he agreed with Leorio’s thoughts. “Ah, perhaps-”

Melody stepped back. “Don’t bother with the check, Pika. We’ve paid for it.” 

“Mels-” 

“It’s handled, Pika.” Melody’s smile was almost mischievous. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.” 

Kurapika’s eyes darted back to him, embarrassed. Leorio offered him a smile and stood up. 

“Thank you, are you sure we can’t at least offer a tip?” 

Melody shook her head. “Just take care of him.” 

“Mels!”

Melody’s grin was utterly playful. “Enjoy your evening, Pika.”

Leorio thanked them and led his… boyfriend? Outside. Kurapika was blushing and avoiding his gaze but he let Leorio take his hand. He managed to shove himself back in the tiny car - curse his awkwardly long limbs, and they returned to the apartments. 

Kurapika motioned for him to go first and he did without thinking about it until he reached the top and realized the blond was checking him out. He blushed even while it made him stand straighter. His stomach swooped with an excited feeling that he hadn’t felt in far too long. 

Kurapika really liked him and this was real. 

He stepped out on the landing and stalled as he saw the size of the package. It was a big box made of some weird thin looking cardboard without any obvious markings. It was rumpled on one side and there was a dark, damp spot on the far left corner.

It was like a prop from some movie. Things like that didn’t exist in real life. This horror movie box with a dark stain and damaged corners didn’t belong in the real world.

“Leorio?” Kurapika placed a hand on his arm to stop him from moving forward. “Should you call the police?”

Leorio’s heart wanted to say ‘yes!’ but he knew it would just lead to frustration. “I’ll probably get the same walk around they’ve been giving me. If there’s something inside it they’ll look but I doubt they’ll care otherwise-”

He stopped as Hisoka’s door opened. The red head leaned against his door frame and eyed them. His lips spread in a thin, predatory sort of smile. 

“Ah, look how cozy you two are.” He hummed and crossed his arms. “Did you enjoy yourselves?”

“Did you get a good look at the delivery person?” Kurapika asked with a poorly hidden scowl. Leorio ignored them both and moved towards the box. There wasn’t any address on it that he could see. Why would there be an address. It was clearly intended to scare him and return address weren’t scary.

“Tall, dressed in a cheap rain jacket with the hood pulled up. No discernible curves and their face was hidden.” Hisoka drawled in a bored tone. “Who is it from?”

“No idea.” Leorio said in as cheerful a tone as he could fake. “I’m going to take it inside. Kurapika, do you want to join me or check on the teens?”

Kurapika gave Hisoka a distasteful look and moved towards Leorio. “I’ll assist you.” 

Leorio hefted the package up - it was heavier than he felt like it should be - and passed his key to Kurapika. The blond got the door open and they went inside.

“Don’t stay up too late, you two! It’s a school night!” Hisoka taunted as they shut the door.

“He is the worst.” Kurapika muttered as Leorio dropped the package on his table. 

“I don’t know how he got my number.” Leorio added. He knocked an absent  _ Hey _ on the wall he shared with Kurapika’s kitchen as he looked for a pair of scissors to get into the package.

_ Hey. Are you back? _

That would be Gon then. Killua would realize that them knocking meant they were back. He knocked a yes and moved to the table.

“When did you learn the language?” Kurapika asked as he pulled the chairs away from the table.

“I heard Gon deciding the letters. I’ve listened to the stupid knocks enough to pick it up.”

“Too bad that’s not a marketable skill.” Kurapika muttered. Leorio approached the table and eyed the package. Kurapika sidled around the table so they were standing next to each other.

“I know,” Leorio murmured as he lifted the scissors, “that the likelihood of this being something horrible like a severed head is not high but…”

Kurapika placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. It felt nice and made it easier to suck in a breath. He reached for the box and cut the tape. He tugged back the flaps and peered inside to see-

A garbage bag. It was tied with a red twisty-tie and looked like it had something big inside.

“Leorio, I think you should use gloves.” 

“Yeah,” he set the scissors down and stepped back. He was scared and didn’t really want to pretend like he wasn’t. He’d had a great evening and didn’t want it to end like this. 

Gloves. Focus. Thankfully gloves were something Leorio had. Yay for being a med student. 

He pulled out a pair and tugged the blue gloves on. They snapped into place and, weirdly, he felt more confident with them. He was training to handle life and death. Opening a package was nothing.

The twisty-tie was easy to unwind and he dropped it on the table by the package. One last glance at Kurapika for reassurance and he tugged it open. 

It was a styrofoam box inside like they used to keep medical supplies cool and safe for delivery. He tugged it’s lid off, curious and worried, and peered inside.

A weird assortment of items was inside. Empty syringes, a few bottles of medicine, seashells, and shredded bits of paper that might have been mail.

“Leorio,” Kurapika murmured, “call the police.” The blond’s small hand pointed towards the lid and that was when Leorio saw the picture that had been taped to the bottom of it. It was a blurry picture that looked like it had been snapped from a moving car but Leorio didn’t need it to be clear to recognize his hospital.

Leorio nodded and pulled out his phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I missed last week!


	15. Chapter 15

Kurapika set to making tea while Leorio rang the police. Again. 

He called the non emergency line because despite his nervous stomach he wasn’t actually in physical danger and he was just not going to risk getting in trouble over it. 

He needed them to take him seriously this time. He was, possibly, an exaggerative person and he was, possibly, paranoid, but he didn’t think so. 

Not this time. 

The operator picked the line up and asked him to repeat himself twice before they finally seemed to understand what he was saying. They kept their tone even, as always, but it felt like this time they might actually believe what he said. 

The whistle of the teapot cut through the silent air as she took his statement and Leorio’s body lurched in surprise. Kurapika removed the kettle from the stove and turned off the burner.

Leorio’s heart continued right on hammering as he turned away from the kitchen. He moved into his tiny living room and wrapped an arm around himself. 

He didn’t understand why this was happening. Leorio had spent his entire life related to Ging and nothing like this had occurred. He’d had one altercation in middle school when some kid had complained about Ging playing some relative but it had just been a one time thing. Leorio had explained his own dislike of his cousin and only a few punches had been thrown. 

No one had ever stalked him and he was fairly certain no one had ever held Gon responsible for Ging’s numerous short comings. At least not that Mito had said. She wasn’t the sort to keep something like this secret either. There would have been a warning at the very least. Mito treated Gon as her own child and she wouldn’t let him run off into that kind of danger.

“Leorio,” Kurpaika’s hand settled on his back and guided him towards the couch. He directed him into a seated position and passed him the cup of tea. The operator  _ finally  _ stopped talking and assured him an officer would be by to look around sometime in the next hour to pick up the package and look around the complex. 

It was infuriating to feel grateful for such a minimal response.

“Thank you.” He muttered and hung up the phone. He dropped it on the table and scrubbed a hand over his face. He was still in his uncomfortable suit and the tie was actively trying to strangle him now. Tugging at it absently, he leaned back in the seat and realized the tea was in his other hand for the first time. It was a simple chamomile because he didn’t have the collection of tea that Kurapika had.

“Thanks,” He took a sip and tried not to lament the ruined evening. Some first date. It had been going so well too. The conversation had flown fairly steadily, the food had been delicious, and Kurapika had checked him out several times. He’d felt good about himself and the evening and then… 

And then. 

Kurapika sat next to him in a smooth, graceful motion. He curled his legs under himself as he perched sideways on the couch, facing Leorio with a small concerned frown. He had a cup of his own in his hands and he blew absently at it. 

“Were they helpful this time?”

Leorio shrugged and took another sip. “They’re actually sending an officer this time so at least I don’t have to make the trip.” He huffed out a weary breath and stretched his legs out so they bumped against the coffee table. Kurapika watched him thoughtfully. He had one thin hand wrapped around the mug and his other arm was draped across the back of the couch. Looking at him, Leorio was suddenly  _ so _ tired. 

“Do you know how long they’ll be?”

He shook his head. “The lady said an hour.”

Kurapika sipped at his tea. “Hmm. We could watch tv? It seems unwise to bring Gon back over until the officer has left.”

Leorio’s heart was suddenly thumping and the old couch seemed very small. “Uh,” he said thickly. He swallowed and smiled in what he hoped was a smooth way, “Sounds like fun. Got anything in mind?” 

Kurapika shifted in his seat, turning towards Leorio and moving closer so that their arms were barely touching. 

Leorio somehow found the remote and got the tv on. He had  _ no  _ idea what he turned it onto but he pressed back into the gentle touch of Kurapika. The blond fidgeted and Leorio automatically lifted his arm. Kurapika slid under the raised limb and tilted against his side. 

Leorio’s arm dropped around Kurapika’s shoulder automatically in surprise. Kurapika was warm and soft beside him. For a few seconds, Leorio simply didn’t breathe. He just sat still, staring blankly at the tv and trying to figure out what had just happened. 

However, the details still filtered in because Leorio was training to take in details even in his surprise. Kurapika was thin. Kurapika’s hair was also shiny and smelled a little like sandalwood. Kurapika fit perfectly under his arm and wasn’t especially boney. Leorio hadn’t exactly cuddled with a lot of people, but he had cuddled with people. Kurapika was nice to cuddle with.

There were also medical benefits. Oxytocin was already being released and it had just been a minute or so. 

He relaxed into the couch and ignored the ominous box on the table. There would be time for it when the cop arrived. Before then he’d just enjoy this and whatever boring news channel they’d landed on. 

Kurapika made a few comments on the news while they sipped their tea together. They finished their glasses and switched to a documentary on bridge building - because why not -when the knock finally came.

Leorio managed not to spring up like a panicked moron and crossed the apartment to the door. 

There was a short officer on the other side of the door. She had long blonde hair she’d separated into pig-tails and looked all of fifteen years old. 

“Ma’am?” 

“Are You Leorio?” He nodded and she pulled out a police badge. “I’m officer Biskey.” He took note of the number and nodded again. “I’m here to check the premises and pick up a box for evidence.”

Leorio tugged the door open and motioned for the officer to come inside. Kurapika stayed by the couch and kept a watchful eye on them both. He looked vaguely distrustful of the officer. 

“It’s over here.” Leorio went to the table and motioned towards the horror-movie box and stepped aside. Biskey eyed it suspiciously and noticed the lid. 

“You told the operator this was your place of business?”

“It’s the hospital I work at, yes.” She nodded like that was an interesting development and pulled a bag out of her pocket. She sealed the box and it’s contents in the evidence bag and hefted it up.

“We’ll examine this and add it to your case. I took a look around and didn’t see anything odd outside of your neighbor. Do you get along well with them?”

“Hisoka?” She nodded. “Well enough. He’s not the greatest neighbor but we’ve never had any fights.”

She nodded and told him to be careful and just like that, it was over.

“Have they typically been that helpful?” Kurapika asked from the couch. He gathered the empty mugs up and moved towards the kitchen casually like this was all normal and not a weird disappointing end to a date.

“No.” Leorio locked the door. “They really haven’t. This was the first time they bothered to come out. They seem to think I’m overreacting.”

Kurapika set the mugs in the sink and turned towards him. “I’d say you’re handling it all quite well.” 

Leorio shrugged and propped his arms on the counter casually.

“What can I say?” He hummed. “I’m just collected like that.” 

Kurapika’s eyes widened slightly. He shifted his weight onto his back leg and smiled slightly in a way that made Leorio’s heart thump. It was flirty.

“Calm and collected? Unflappable? Is that you, Leorio?”

He shrugged it off as if it wasn’t anything. “Of course.” 

Kurapika sauntered across the kitchen towards him with that same flirty smile and Leorio’s lungs didn’t feel quite as full of air as they had. 

“And what, I wonder, would crack that calm?” 

Leorio leaned forward and offered a smile of his own. “I don’t know. I’m training to be uncrackable you know.”

Kurapika swayed closer, eyes hooded and  _ wow, _ he had really long eyelashes. His eyes looked slightly red in this light and Leorio was going to have to do some studying to understand how they always seemed to change shades because it was dizzying and shouldn’t be possible but they were lovely. They were drawing closer to each other and the air seemed to be charged with static. He could feel it in the air and it was too much to resist. Leorio’s hands moved towards Kurapika and wrapped around his arm. He tugged him closer and Kurapika came with that smile growing larger. The blond’s hand rested on Leorio’s chest - his heart was pounding now- and the difference in their height was obvious now. 

The distance between them felt positively massive and daunting. Leorio’s heart was twisting and thumping until he was almost dizzy. He needed to inhale because he’d stopped doing that at some point when Kurapika started to move closer. He just couldn’t  _ because Kurapika was moving closer. _

He wanted to kiss him and it was somehow terrifying and thrilling and he was leaning in now. It seemed like there were miles between them but Kurapika was stretching up as well. 

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Leorio  _ jumped _ and jerked fully upright. His eyes shot to the wall in confusion as more knocks sounded. It took a moment for his brain to work because Kurapika’s hand was still on his chest but the message became obvious.

_ Okay? Police. _

Shit! He hadn’t considered that obvious fact.

“The police.” Leorio muttered, letting go of Kurapika’s arm. “They went to your apartment.”

Kurapika drew back with a concerned noise. Leorio’s hands moved to stop him from retreating before he managed to stop himself. 

Kurapika crossed the apartment to the door and looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. Leorio jolted and followed after him because, yeah, he should check on Gon.

This wouldn’t be a problem for most people his age. Most young adults didn’t have to worry about kids and their safety. Most people his age were just enjoying their life and new freedom. Instead they were both essentially single parents. At least their ‘kids’ were old enough to take care of themselves. 

He didn’t begrudge Gon, of course. Nothing of the sort. He was mostly grateful that Kurapika looked at his bizarre situation and just accepted it without too many questions. 

The hallway was, thankfully, empty. They went to Kurapika’s apartment and tugged the door open. Both teens were on the couch with an empty box of pizza in front of them and a few messy sheets of homework spread out on the table. They were arm to arm and only looked a little uneasy. Killua had something cold and calculating in his gaze until he realized it was them. 

“Leorio!” Gon greeted with a broad smile. “Did something happen?”

“Obviously, idiot.” Killua muttered with poorly hidden fondness. 

“Just more strange mail.” He offered casually as they shut the door. “How’d things go here? Did the police stop by?”

Gon nodded like it was the coolest thing that had ever occurred. “Yep! She asked if we saw anything weird.”

“Had you?” Leorio asked just as casually as before. 

Killua shrugged and scooped up the papers. “No. We cleaned the kitchen and finished Gon’s homework.” He straightened and eyed them with a mischievous smile. “And you two? Did you enjoy your date?”

“Yeah!” Gon added. “You’re back pretty quick.” A worried frown tugged his lips down.

“Not much time for mak-”

“Killua.” Kurapika warned with a scowl. “That’s enough. Put the papers away, please.” 

Killua smirked and motioned for Gon to follow him. They retreated to Killua’s room together with a few whispered words between them. Leorio couldn’t help but notice how closely they were standing to each other. 

Had something happened there?

“Well,” Kurapika mused as the teens closed the door to Killua’s room. “They seem fine.”

He shrugged. “I probably could have just knocked but I wanted to make sure.”

Kurapika turned towards him and smiled softly. Leorio’s heart promptly started to pound again.


	16. Chapter 16

The distant sound of Killua’s door closing was the only sound in the suddenly very silent room. Kurapika’s smile was soft, almost gentle, and it made Leorio utterly breathless. 

The short man was close enough to touch and Leorio didn’t see any reason not to. He reached slowly and brushed his fingers against the back of Kurapika’s hand. It wasn’t much of a touch but it was a start and resulted in Kurapika turning his hand around so they were suddenly holding hands. 

This time Leorio moved closer with an easy smile and pulled on the hand in his. Kurapika came over and smiled, ducking his head bashfully. His earrings caught the light in a tempting way. QUite suddenly, or not so suddenly, Leorio wanted to lean down and kiss along his ear. He wanted to feel the soft skin and see if Kurapika was responsive. He had a feeling the blond would have sensitive ears. 

He was reminded of their height difference once again as he stared. 

Kurapika’s hand lighted on his chest again. He half imagined he could feel the blond’s gentle warmth through the suit and shirt. It wasn’t logical but logic wasn’t everything. 

His free hand curved around Kurapika’s elbow, helping him to lift higher while Leorio bent to get closer. 

A  _ loud  _ thump echoed through the apartment, originating from Killua’s room and was followed by a pained ‘ooph’ and a yelp from Gon. 

Both of them charged towards the teen’s room without a word. Leorio’s mind filled with horrible thoughts and he dashed forward, fear turning his stomach. There were windows outside of Killua’s room. What if the person that had been threatening them had tried to get Gon? They’d obviously been watching the two of them. It was crazy to think they didn’t know that Gon hung out over here.

Shit! What if he’d put Kurapika and Killua in danger?

It took an eternity to reach Killua’s door and he didn’t even think before he was wrenching it open and bounding inside.

Killua and Gon were both on the floor. Gon’s hand was frozen on his head like he’d been rubbing it while Killua was propped on one arm and leaning over him. It looked like they had fallen off the bed.

Both boys immediately moved. Gon shot up with a splutter and clocked his head against Killua’s chin. Killua reeled back in shock, his hands flying to grab a pen off his desk. He sprang at Leorio with a cold and vacant look in his eyes and paused all of a handful of inches away. The pen was raised in the air like a dagger.

Leorio wasn’t sure of much anything but he didn’t feel like Killua was seeing him.

“Killua,” Kurapika called gently. Leorio stayed still with his hands raised. He kept his eyes on Killua and tried not to look angry or intimidating. He couldn’t help being so tall but he could take up less space.

Yay for late nights in the trauma ward and dealing with victims. It taught you a lot of  _ terrible  _ but useful things. No sudden movements, no aggressive movements, and quick thinking.

“Killua, it’s alright. We heard the thump and we-” Kurapika cut off abruptly as Gon stood up. He bounced to his feet easily like there wasn’t a minor stand off happening and didn’t seem to notice that Killua had basically dissassicated. 

(What horrible things had the kid been through? Why was his gut instinct to attack?)

Gon moved to Killua’s side and took his free hand. The teen relaxed minutely, blinking and seeming to come back to himself but he didn’t move.

“Killua and I were going to k-”

Whatever Gon was going to say made Killua unfroze. He twisted on his heel, dropped the pen, and plastered his hand over Gon’s mouth with a bright blush. 

“Gon!” He hissed, “shut up!”

“But why are you embarrassed?” Gon asked around the hand over his mouth. “We just-”

“Gon, I swear to god, shut up you  _ idiot. _ ”

Kurapika laughed. Leorio was still standing with his hands in the air and felt vaguely like it was okay to lower them now. He hadn’t realized the adrenaline this time. He’d just responded in the way he thought was best. His training was finally kicking in. 

Killua’s eyes turned on him, his flush darkening as the pale eyes took in his lowering hands. Killua’s gaze darted to his face and for a moment he looked ashamed. Leorio kept his face carefully neutral as Killua schooled his features.

“I didn’t expect you, old man.” 

Several dated references about no one expecting things filtered through Leorio’s mind but he kept his mouth shut because they’d just prove Killua’s annoying point and he wasn’t sure teasing was the right reaction right now. 

He also didn’t want Killua to think things were going to be awkward now.

That was, however, the moment Leorio noticed that Gon was blushing. He hadn’t made any move to dislodge Killua’s hand and he was staring at Killua with a starry eyed gaze. 

He found himself grinning as the full realization of what had probably just happened hit him. The teens would have been sitting on the bed. They’d fallen off (probably over balanced) Gon had probably said something dumb, Killua had sat up to call him out and check on him, and they’d been leaning towards each other when he and Kurapika had darted in. 

Well, if their kiss was going to be interrupted at least they were returning the favor. 

Had they had a chance to talk then? Leorio didn’t doubt he’d be hearing about it-

Shit. He hadn’t had the talk yet. He hadn’t looked up any advice on giving the talk. His own dad hadn’t given him the talk. He’d gotten it from an older cousin and that had  _ not  _ been a good version of the talk. It left a lot of information out and…

Shit. 

“Well,” Kurapika said in too loud of a voice with too large of a smile, “if you two are alright, we can leave you alone.”

Killua flushed brighter somehow. “Why did you say it like that?” 

Kurapika stepped back, playful smile still firmly on his lips. “I didn’t say it like anything. Leorio? Shall we?” Leorio nodded, smiling himself and trying not to laugh at Gon’s endearingly obvious stare. 

“Creeps!” Killua accused indignantly. “We weren’t doing anything!”

“Of course not.” Leorio said, not bothering to hide his smile. “No one said you-”

Killua’s eyes narrowed. “Okay, old man. We were just finishing anyway. Why don’t we play a group game? We got a new one for the switch.”

Kurapika’s smile dropped. “I thought you were planning on -”

“Plans change.” Killua muttered.

Gon blinked and seemed to realize everyone was talking. “Sounds fun!” He said around the hand still covering his mouth. A jolt went through Killua’s body and he promptly dropped his hand from Gon’s mouth. 

(Leorio couldn’t help but notice they were still holding hands.)

Nothing more was going to happen now anyway. Leorio wasn’t entirely comfortable leaving Gon alone with Killua before he chatted with him and learned what all his cousin knew about relationships. 

He also wasn’t sold on kissing Kurapika when the two teens could just pop in. He’d like that first one to be at least a mildly private thing so they could enjoy it without interruption. He intended on making a thorough study of Kurapika and wanted some time for it. 

He led the way back out of the room and took up a seat at the corner of the couch. Kurapika strolled into the kitchen to set a kettle of water to heating. He joined Leorio a moment later while the teens set up the game. They both took seats on the floor. Kurapika drew his legs up on the couch and curled in against Leorio’s side. 

(The blond smelled vaguely like spearmint.)

They were both passed controllers and made a reasonable show of selecting characters. Kurapika was warm and he could hear each gentle breath so he didn’t do a particularly great job at keeping track of what he was doing in the game.

Kurapika didn’t either. Killua and Gon were too competitive to be distracted by something like being close to each other so they quickly took the lead. 

Kurapika was the first to die and he promptly discarded his controller. He looped his arm around Leorio’s and leaned his head against Leorio’s shoulder.

Leorio promptly died. 

Leorio, heart thumping like an over-excited rabbit, intertwined his fingers with Kurapika and watched the teens proceed to duke it out for a long time. He hardly noticed the time passing and, for once, his mind didn’t wander to half finished homework, vague threats, or tomorrow’s shift. It was blissfully quiet as he familiarized himself with the weight and feel of Kurapika’s hand in his. 

It was much later when he caught Gon yawning. He had an early shift tomorrow and they really shouldn’t stay up any longer. He had to be responsible even if he just wanted to sit and cuddle for a few hours more.

Kurapika walked them to the door. Killua retreated back to his room sulkily. Leorio had a lot he wanted to say, but not in front of Gon. 

“Thanks… I…”

Kurapika smiled that soft smile that Leorio was getting a little too attached to. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Leorio.”

“Yeah, tomorrow. Good night.” He stuttered a little bit and walked backwards clumsily. He ended up bumping into Gon who snorted. Thankfully the door was already open so Leorio was able to exit and escape his impending embarrassment. 

The hall was empty and there wasn’t anything in front of his door. Thank god for small favors and what was his life that that was a real reason to celebrate?

They both got in their apartment without incident. Leorio tugged off his jacket and hung it on the back of one of his chairs while Gon made a beeline for the fridge. His predictable cousin grabbed the milk out and poured it into a mug on the counter without checking to see if it was clean. Leorio should probably be more alarmed about that. 

“So…” he hummed, smiling a little and trying to squash the sudden awkward feeling in his gut, “Killua?”

Gon sputtered around his mouthful of milk. He began to hack violently and spilled milk on himself and the floor. Leorio sprang across the room to him and got a hand around Gon’s arm and the other light on his back.

“You okay?”

Gon nodded and sucked in a ragged breath. “Yes,” He managed, “I’ll clean that up.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just take a few breaths and keep your head up.”

Gon nodded, blushing, and set the cup down. 

“So,” He hummed again, “think we need to talk about the Killua thing?”

Gon grinned, still blushing. “He swings my way!”

Leorio grinned and leaned against the counter and considered his bubbly cousin. “So I take it you talked?”

“Yes!” Gon gushed. “Right after the fire started.” (Leorio kept his mouth shut. He’d ask about that later.) “We both reached for the pan and his hand landed on top of mine and I noticed he blushed. I remembered you said to talk about it so I did.” He beamed, honey colored eyes wide and so excited, “Killua said I was stupid if I thought he wasn’t interested and-” He paused and sucked in a quick breath, “he said he liked me!” 

Leorio grinned at his cousin and decided the serious talk could wait until tomorrow. Tonight was for basking in the warm feeling of finding out someone you liked felt the same way about you. He wouldn’t make it anything else. Sure, it would give him extra time to put his thoughts together but that wasn’t why he was stalling. 

He wanted Gon to keep that easy grin and stay a young teen in his first throws of romance. 

It was a protective feeling rising in his chest. He’d always been protective of those he loved but this wasn’t just worry about Killua hurting Gon’s heart. He saw the way the teen looked at his cousin. The feelings were returned. This was more…

This was an old worry. He didn’t want Gon to go through what he’d gone and now… Now he couldn’t stop thinking about Kurapika in the other apartment. Was he healthy? When had he last been to the doctor? Did he have any preexisting conditions?

Shit. What was he doing? There were so many things that could be wrong. Kurapika was a teacher as well, god only knew how many germs he came into regular contact with. 

No. This wasn’t a path of thinking to head down in. It was too late to start think about all of that. 

Tonight had been good. 

“You know,” Leorio managed after a moment, “you should go clean up. You still have some soot on your cheek from the fire.”

Gon rubbed at his cheek in surprise. “Gosh, we didn’t have much time before you got there and then we had the pizza and there was homework.” He shrugged thin shoulders. “Guess I should shower?”

Leorio nodded because he had learned you encouraged it when a teenage boy offered to shower. “Yes.” He waved him off towards the bathroom and set to cleaning the spilt milk up. 

He put the mug in the sink, carefully not thinking about illnesses. He felt a little jittery and decide a breath of fresh air wouldn’t go awry and it would probably be a good idea to water his plants. 

Leorio took a moment to rinse his hands off, calm his nerves, and go to his deck. He tugged the door open, his eyes already on the street lights across the way. It was beautiful and peaceful and-

“Leorio?”

And Kurapika was watering his plants as well.


	17. Chapter 17

“Oh,” Leorio stuttered, like a buffoon, “Hi. Uh, what are you doing?” He immediately wanted to bang his head against the railing but it wouldn’t change the fact that Leorio was an idiot.

Kurapika smiled and lifted his watering can. “Same thing as you, I imagine.”

Leorio laughed and contemplated just going right back inside. “Yeah.” He went to his hibiscus and checked their soil absent mindedly while he tried to think of something to say. His mind was firmly stuck in the ‘what if Kurapika has some fatal disease and dies’ and ‘what if he did not enjoy the date’ panic. 

“Leorio?” Kurapika called quietly, “can I ask you a question?” 

Leorio straightened from his hibiscus and nodded. “Sure?” What would the blond want to ask about? The date? The stalker? Gon’s clumsiness?

Kurapika set his watering can down and brought his hands neatly together in front of himself. “Tonight, with Killua, that… Has he had an episode in front of you before?”

Ah. That made sense. He’d never mentioned that to Kurapika. The time had never quite seemed right. (It wasn’t any easy thing to bring up either. You couldn’t just say “hey, your adopted brother went kind of killer on me.”)

He nodded. “It’s happened at least twice. One was an obvious dissociative episode the other was subtle but hindsight has led me to believe it was also an episode.” He paused, considering Kurapika. The blond looked troubled by his statement and was fiddling with the hem of his shirt. His eyes were on the ground between them and something about the way he was holding himself made Leorio think of families at the trauma ward. People who knew their loved ones were in trouble but didn’t know what they could do to help and felt vulnerable and useless because of that.

He couldn’t think of anything to say but… “Do you want details?” Kurapika nodded. Leorio set his own watering can down and leaned against his rail. He kept his body language open and casual so that he didn’t come off as angry or frightened. It was never good for a doctor to come off as either of those. 

“A few weeks ago, “ Probably. Might have been longer or closer. Leorio’s sense of time was terrible, “I came in to find both boys sleeping on the couch. I tapped Killua on the knee to wake him up without thinking about it.” Kurapika inhaled sharply. “Yeah, all the signs were there and I recognized them but I still did it. Stupid of me.” He shook his head and huffed out a breath. “Killua sprang at me, knocked me down, pressed his knee against my throat, and pinned me down. The whole thing lasted… a minute? At most? He came back to himself and I apologized for being an idiot.”

“Your throat?” Kurapika’s hand moved towards his mouth but he stopped the motion before he could cover his gasp. 

Leorio offered him a consoling smile. “Not the first time I’ve been laid out. Weird things happen at night and my hospital doesn’t cater to rich clientele. We get a lot of gang members and drug addicts.” He shrugged. “The other episode wasn’t as dramatic. He was eating a chocolate bar on the counter and I mentioned one of Hisoka’s creepy companions. Killua kind of froze for a few moments. He came out of it himself that time.” (Leorio didn’t mention that for a moment Killua looked like he was going to stab him with a spoon of all things.)

Kurapika’s eyes shot to him and narrowed. “Creepy?”

“Vampiric. Like cheesy old movie vampiric. Pale, almost as tall as me, dark hair, dark eyes, tight fitting clothes and a vibe that felt like trouble.” He could still remember the creepy man. Not that he’d seen him around since. He’d been looking too. 

Kurapika’s reaction was almost the exact same as Killua’s had been without the stabbing spoon grip. He’d suspected it when Killua had gone all distant but now he was positive that they knew the dark haired stranger. He was positive it wasn’t a good kind of knowing either. 

Leorio had lived in this apartment for years and never had _such_ a weird time until he took Gon in. He loved his cousin but he could do with a slightly less wild life but he didn’t want to change it. The three of them were worth having a mildly uncomfortable life for. 

(And the doctor in him needed to help heal whatever horrible thing had happened.)

“You know him?”

Kurapika blinked, his eyes darting to Leorio with something like worry. He didn’t answer right away and that was more of an answer than anything. It also hurt a fair bit. Kurapika didn’t want to tell him and the only reason for that sort of thing was that Kurapika didn’t trust him.

They hadn’t been friends for a long time and they’d been dating for all of a few hours now. He understood that Kurapika didn’t have a lot of reason to trust him yet but it still hurt. Especially since he hadn’t given Kurapika a reason _not_ to trust him.

Who was the guy?

“The description could fit a few acquaintances.” Kurapika murmured after a few too many very awkward seconds.

“Uh-huh.” He pushed off the rail and grabbed his can back up. “Wouldn’t if you saw him.” He turned to his lavender and watered it careful not to get the leaves wet. He didn’t want them to burn. 

His mother had taught him how to tend to plants when he was a boy. It was the closest they’d been able to get to a pet. She’d grown strawberries and they hardly ever got to eat them because they were worth more to sell. 

He hadn’t grown any strawberries. Kurapika did though. Leorio had recognized the plant. 

“Did he say anything?”

Leorio shook his head. “Nope. Just watched me. He was holding Hisoka’s hand. Looked kinda like they were together. But he wasn’t groping him like he usually does with his dates.”

Kurapika made a noise at that. It was a small distressed sound that made Leorio’s gut tighten. It was a instinctual response he’d developed in his training as a doctor. Patients tended to take one of three paths when they found out their situations. They either went with denial, they grew extremely upset, or they went very quiet. 

It made him want to comfort and offer hope but he didn’t know what was going on to help. 

He straightened up, plucking a sprig of lavender and turning back to Kurapika. 

“Here I…” He trailed off and passed the flowers to the blond with an embarrassed blush. Kurapika accepted it with a blank expression and brought it near to his face. He inhaled softly, his eyes returning to Leorio curiously. 

“I,” Leorio continued after another awkward moment, “don’t know what’s going on but lavender soothes.” He took a step back and almost tripped on his daisies. 

He’d finished his watering and now he didn’t have anything to do. He didn’t want to go back in but he didn’t know what to keep talking about. Talking during the date had been easy but everything felt a little stilted now. 

“Thank you,” Kurapika murmured, “I love lavender.”

Leorio perked up a little and made a note to remember that. 

“And thank you for the date. It was lovely. Killua as well. You… You’re quite good with him.”

That perked him up more. “He’s a good kid. Seems to have had a rough life but he’s doing well.”

Kurapika nodded. “He has. He likes you, you know.” Kurapika inhaled the flower again. 

“Kurapika!” Killua’s voice came from inside, vaguely annoyed and distant. 

Kurapika turned towards the door. He hesitated for a second, hand raised and extended towards Leorio. His eyes hardened with some sort of resolve and shot out towards Lerio. He ran his fingers along the back of Leorio’s hand with something hot and dizzying in his gaze. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Leorio.”

Leorio only nodded like an idiot. 

* * *

The time had come. There was no more ignoring it. He couldn't let his cousin go off into the wild knowing nothing.

Leorio had to give the talk. 

They were alone in the apartment, somehow, and he probably only had a half hour before Killua tried to come over and see Gon. He couldn’t in good faith let Gon go any further without knowing everything. It wasn’t fair to either of them. 

The tv was on in the background and neither of them were paying any attention to it. Gon was scrolling through his phone and Leorio had finally finished his homework for the day and could not reasonably put this off any longer.

He’d gathered his material, he’d googled an ungodly amount, and he’d asked his classmates. He was as ready as he could be.

“Hey, buddy,” Leorio greeted casually as he strolled into his living room. It was all of five feet from his dining room so there wasn’t much time to gather his courage. He passed his cousin a soda and plopped onto the couch next to him in a gangly pile. He felt like he was all limbs and didn’t fit and it just added to his already awkward feeling. 

“Hey!” Gon accepted the soda cheerfully and popped it open noisily. He took a long drink and Leorio couldn’t help but notice that a lot of the babyfat that had always filled his face was gone. He looked older and Leorio couldn’t help but wonder how he’d missed it. 

He didn’t want Gon growing up. 

It wasn’t like he could stop it though. Time wouldn’t stop. Not for anyone. All he could do was equip Gon for it. 

“So… Killua…” Leorio began slowly. His hands were already sweaty and this was _ridiculous._ “How’s that?”

Gon immediately beamed and shifted around on the couch so they were facing each other. “Great!” He gushed, eyes lighting up. “He sent me a lot of texts today and we facetimed over lunch.” His smile turned a little bashful and he fiddled with the tab of his soda. “It was really nice.” 

Leorio nodded. It made him happy to see how excited his cousin was but that didn’t make this any easier. He adjusted in his seat and his leg bumped into the coffee table. He shoved it back with his foot to buy a few more seconds.

“Mmm.” He hummed absently. “So you know about... stuff?” He immediately hated himself for the utter cop-out but somehow he could _not_ make himself say sex. Not to Gon. 

(He was a doctor. He was stronger than this. It was a word. A stupid simple word that was part of life.)

Gon shrugged. “I don’t remember what we talked about in school today.” His brow furrowed in thought. 

Okay… He should have expected that. He could be clearer. “I meant you know about,” he made a vague sort of motion with his hand that even he wouldn’t have understood. “You know, doing the do.”

Gon’s frowned and tilted his head in confusion. “Hair? What? Like how Killua’s is fluffy?”

(How was this Leorio’s life?)

Gon continued on with Killua’s hair which was apparently one of his favorite subjects. “Not really. I haven’t asked him.” His eyes widened and his lips quirked up in a happy smile. “I should. I can do that now that we’re dating and it won’t be weird. Right?” He looked entirely earnest and this wasn’t working.

Leorio had known Gon his entire life. He knew how blunt his cousin was and that bluntness was the only language that he really spoke. 

“Gon,” he huffed, his cheeks heating an obnoxiously hot red, “I’m asking if you’ve ever had the talk.” He locked eyes with his cousin and watched as the color drained out of Gon’s cheerful face. “The sex talk. Do you know about sex and relationships.” 

(Please, let the ground please swallow him up. Screw you, Ging. He should be the one giving this talk, not Leorio.)

Gon blinked twice. His mouth opened in stupified surprise, clicked shut again, and his cheeks turned a bright pink. 

“Oh.” He squeaked. He nodded his head stiffly and gripped the can tightly. “Yes.” He paused and looked at his soda in his hand. “Sort of.”

Leorio reached into his pocket and pulled out five different pamphlets. He’d gathered them for strength and thank god he had them now. He tugged the first one open and turned it towards Gon.

“Okay,” He breathed, pulling on his doctor training as his voice slipped into something almost technical, “let’s start at the beginning, shall we?”

Fifteen horrifyingly strange minutes later and Leorio had to admit, the talk was somehow more and less awkward than he anticipated.

Gon knew the basics between males and females and he had a few vague notions about how you got there. He knew nothing about male and male relationships and he had a lot of very awkward questions that he asked in a very straight forward way. Gon became weirdly comfortable partway through and asked some explicit things (Leorio was red and couldn’t change it) and some utterly cute things like what to do if your hands got clammy when someone else was holding yours.

He answered everything he could and, at the end, Gon was safe to be released into the wild. Leorio trusted him and he made it as clear as possible that Gon could come to him with questions about anything. 

They finished their sodas and watched some mindless tv until Killua came over.

Leorio couldn’t help but notice they left for Killua’s apartment holding hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to my friend Alex for staying up with me while I wrote this at an ungodly hour. You are the utter bomb


	18. Chapter 18

Because life was endlessly busy and didn’t seem to like Leorio all that much he didn’t get to see much of Kurapika through the next few days. He did manage to exchange phone numbers and that resulted in Leorio’s phone battery draining dramatically from the amount of messages they sent. That’s what he was blaming it on anyway. It was a shitty old phone but it served him loyally.

It was a lot better than having a charged phone and being depressed. Kurapika was hilarious and encouraging in a somewhat stoic way. 

It had the negative side effect of distracting him during his rounds and Tonpa noticing. 

Tonpa who promptly glued himself to Leorio’s side and started asking annoying questions. Questions Leorio either didn’t have or didn’t want to answer. 

Either way it led to a lot of glares which got his supervisors attention which resulted in him getting assigned to another overnight, 16 hour shift. 

Miraculsouly, Leorio did not murder his fellow student and instead found a cleaning closet to screech in. Cheadle found him and made him shadow her in the trauma ward. He’d have been annoyed but it got him away from Tonpa so at least the long shift wasn’t as terrible as it could be. 

He got home the next morning after Gon left for school and trudged up to his apartment. He got halfway up the stairs and spotted Hisoka standing out side his apartment with a vaguely familiar, talk, dark haired, exceptionally pale, vaguely vampiric man. 

Leorio hadn’t slept in over 24 hours- closer to 35 but he wasn’t sure what time it currently was - but even his sleep deprived mind couldn’t mistake that man as anyone but the person that had freaked Kurapika and Killua out.

“You’re in late.” Hisoka observed casually. He was dressed in a silk robe that was open at the chest and Leorio could see part of a tattoo that he did not want to know Hisoka had. 

“Early.” the other man corrected. He spoke evenly and as though he was uninterested in the subject. His dark eyes scanned Leorio, taking in the vomit that a seven year old had gotten on his scrubs, and the second hand backpack slung over his shoulder. 

Hisoka smiled sappily at the tall stranger and walked his fingers up the man’s chest. “Of course,” he purred, “early.” He eyed Leorio and smirked. “Overnight shift?”

Leorio didn’t reply beyond a smile. His skin was prickling uneasily and he didn’t like the way the man was staring at him. It made him feel uncomfortably aware of himself. It wasn’t like the man was studying him in a ‘that guy is hot’ sort of way. It felt far more calculating and… sinister.

He got across the hall as quickly as he could and tried not to notice that Hisoka wrapped an arm around the man’s neck and leaned in close to him. 

“Enjoy your nap, Leorio!” Hisoka called cheerfully as he unlocked his door, “and tell Gon hi for me!”

Leorio closed the door and immediately locked it. He pulled his almost dead phone out and sent a quick text to Kurapika as a cold worry spread through his chest.

_[Hey, is Killua home?]_

It took about twenty seconds for Kurapika to respond.

_[Yes]_

_[Why?]_

Leorio drummed his fingers against the counter and glanced at his deck door. There was no reason Killua would go wandering about. He was probably safe in his apartment. 

But why had they been standing in the hall? They hadn’t been coming or going. They’d just been loitering there in the breezeway for no reason. 

He finally settled on: _[Saw the vampire wannabe again.]_

He couldn’t quite suppress the worry. It was probably nothing but if it was something he wasn’t taking the risk. 

The next reply was a few minutes in coming. Leorio pulled himself out a bowl, what cereal they had left, and some milk for a quick breakfast. He carried it to the living room and paused at the door. He could still see Hisoka and the stranger by their door. 

It looked like they were staring at his door and that made him back up and check the lock again. It was still firmly in the locked position. He contemplated dragging the chair in front of it but that felt a _little_ excessive. They hadn’t done anything.

There was no reason to feel so uncomfortable but he couldn’t shake the feeling. A cold knot of worry had settled in his chest and it wasn’t going to go away any time soon.

Leorio sat on his couch and took a bite of his already soggy cereal. It wasn’t appetizing but he didn’t have the energy to fix anything else. He munched about half of it down before his phone pinged.

_[Is he still there?]_

_[Yes]_

_[Where?]_

_[By Hisoka’s door. They’re just standing outside it.]_

There wasn’t a quick response so he took another bite. If he wasn’t so tired he felt like he might be able to piece together what the connection was between Kurapika, Killua, and the stranger but he couldn’t figure it out right now. He needed a nap and he needed to do a bit of homework but first he needed a nap.

Nap. Double shifts could go die and Tonpa could as well. 

He should call the claim officer and find out the latest info on his case. There might be an update at this point.

He needed to finish the cereal but the bowl seemed really far away.

Leorio lost a few seconds or minutes-time got weird after so many hours up- to staring at his bowl and about vaulted off the couch when someone knocked on his deck. He turned in his chair and squinted to see who it was. His jump had skewed his glasses and he had to straighten them before he could recognize a nervous looking Killua.

Leorio, even sleep deprived Leorio, couldn’t remember seeing Killua look nervous. It had him stumbling off his couch and sprinting to tug the door open. 

(That creep was still outside and he didn’t want Killua and the creep both outside.)

“Killua?” He grunted as he tugged the door open. Killua slipped inside - Leorio noticed he had a backpack- and shoved the door shut when Leorio just stood there. 

“Get with it, old man. You’ll let the cold in.”

Leorio absently flipped the lock back in place. “What’s up?”

Killua raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you get Pika’s text?”

Leorio shook his head and fished his phone out of his pocket. It had died on him. Oops. Killua didn’t wait for an answer and went to the couch. He dumped a pile of papers on the table next to Leorio’s cereal and plopped down on the couch in a casual crouch that looked kind of stiff. Killua was always fluid in his movements and Leorio couldn’t help but think he looked kind of clumsy now. 

He plugged his phone in and left it on the counter. He fixed a glass of water and downed it before returning to the living room. Killua was working on something that looked like chemistry. He took a seat on his other side and stared for too long of a minute.

“What’s up?” he asked again. 

Killua turned an unimpressed look on him and flipped a page. He was in a hoodie that still had the hood up which was kind of weird. Killua was specific about his hair and didn’t seem to wear hats or hoods. It made him think of the people who came in to the hospital without any identification. They always tried to disappear into their clothes.

“You really aren’t alert right now are you?” Killua observed. 

“I just got off a double shift.” he rubbed his eyes but refrained from complaining about how tired he was. He wanted Killua to open up. 

Killua nodded like he knew what that meant. “Kurapika told me to hang over here for a while.” He answered evasively. “Finish up my homework and stuff.” 

Leorio blamed the next thing he said on being tired and the cold lump of worry in his chest. 

“I know it’s the creep outside. I don’t know why, but I know he’s someone neither of you like.” Killua’s face remained utterly impassive. Leorio’s eyes slipped close and he pinched his nose to try and push away the coming headache. It was a fuzzy, aching kind of headache that covered the front of his head and made his eyes throb. It was from tension and a lack of sleep but it sucked. 

“You know I’m adopted, right?”

Leorio’s eyes popped open in surprise. He nodded stupidly as Killua studied him with pale eyes and a neutral expression. His posture was stiff and that was the only indication Leorio had that the teen might be scared or worried.

“Kurapika’s parents took me in when I was six.” He explained like they were talking about the weather and not something that had probably been terribly traumatic, “They only meant to foster me but ended up doing a full adoption.” 

Leorio nodded, his mind foggy but focused on every word. “It wasn’t a good situation.” Killua added as he filled out a formula on his sheet. “So there were exceptions made. They never made me feel like a foster kid though. They took me in and treated me like their own. Kurapika’s always acted like I’m his brother.” The blue eyes turned back on him, utterly serious. “So-”

Whatever he was going to say, Leorio didn’t find out. Someone knocked on the door and Killua sprang up with the pen in his hand in a grip like he was going to stab someone. Leorio shoved his own way up, ignored Killua’s slightly distant expression, and moved towards the door. The cold chunk of worry was spreading throughout his entire chest. He just _knew_ who was going to be on the other side of that door and there was no way he was opening it. 

“Killua,” he called in his most authoritative doctor voice, “go to the bedroom and lock the door. There’s a switchblade in my nightstand. Grab it. The window leads to the parking lot. Do you know how to drive?” Killua nodded and this time there was no mistaking the look of unease on his face. “If something happens go out the window and down the fire escape.” He passed him the keys to his car and sent a mental prayer that it would start if everything went to shit. His car was entirely undependable but he’d take a dozen failed batteries after a shift if it would just work now.

Killua took the keys and stepped back. The knock echoed again. “Don’t-don’t let him in.” The teen ordered before moving towards the bedroom. “He’s-”

“Go.” Leorio commanded. He moved towards the door and waited until he heard his bedroom door shut. Peering through the peephole he saw the tall, dark haired man standing on the other side. He was in a green suit that looked custom made. It fit him perfectly which spoke of money Leorio certainly didn’t have. His own suits were a bit too big. 

“Who is it?” He grunted and kept his eye on the door. He couldn’t see the man’s hands which made him think it was on his door knob. He did not like that.

“May I speak with you?”

Leorio grit his teeth. He was far too tired for this shit and this stranger was about fifteen hours too late for Leorio to use manners.

“I asked who the hell you were.” 

The man pursued his lips and even through the distorted view of the peep hole Leorio felt a shiver race down his spine at how _sinister_ the man looked. There was something familiar about the lines of his face and if he wasn’t so distorted Leorio felt like he might be able to put it together.

The man blinked slowly and his lips spread in a thin, angry, line. “Gittackur.” 

Leorio would eat his shabby bag if that was true. He wasn’t always the best at telling when people were lying but this one made his entire body tense.

“What do you want, Gittackur?”

The man didn’t miss a beat. “To speak with you.” 

“What about?”

The stranger leaned closer and the distortion made his head look larger. “Your neighbor.”

Leorio, despite his trembling body and his pounding head, did not hesitate in his answer. “Hisoka? You’ve met him. I don’t have anything to add. I’m tired so have a good day.” He stepped back and waited with baited breath. There was no way-

_Knock. Knock._

He didn’t respond and just stood without breathing. His heart was racing and the exhaustion was pushed away. It didn’t matter when the fight or flight response kicked in. He’d crash hard later. Right now he had to brace himself in case that creep tried to break in.

(His mind darted to lessons on subduing patients. Fractured memories and orders that blurred into instinct.)

The knocking continued for another eighty-seven seconds. Leorio counted every single one as it passed. He waited another ninety seconds before peering through the peephole again. 

Gittackur-or whoever the hell he was - was gone. 

* * *

He crashed on the couch again with Killua _after_ he shoved a chair under the front door’s knob and the deck door. He closed the blinds on it and pulled the curtains over the windows shut. 

Killua didn’t offer any more information but that was okay. He’d started to trust Leorio and that was a hell of a start.

He wanted to stay awake but what small amount of common sense he still had working told him he would be more useful if he had at least a few hours of sleep.

He settled on the couch with _strict_ instructions that Killua was not to leave without telling him and that he was to alert him the moment he heard anything suspicious. He left instructions with Gon to wait for Kurapika to pick him up and conked out _hard_ for a few hours with exactly no homework done. 

He woke up with a start to find Gon attempting to drape a blanket over him. Killua was peering over the back of the couch and flicked Gon on the back of the head when Leorio woke up.

“Sorry!” Gon exclaimed too loudly. He stepped back with a contrite expression and glanced at Killua who shook his head fondly. 

“Did you wake him up?” Someone called from the kitchen. 

“Yeah,” Killua answered. 

“Then he can eat.” 

_Kurapika_ , Leorio’s mind supplied. He could smell the warm spice of curry and a hint of mint in the air that promised tea. 

“Come on, old man,” Killua urged with an almost soft expression, “let’s eat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I will eventually answer the questions about Killua's backstory. I did not anticipate how unwilling to blab Killua would be, lol.


	19. Chapter 19

It was curry and rice for dinner and it was delicious. Leorio barely registered being dragged from the couch to the actual dining area and he certainly didn’t remember the bit between sitting and being served a plate of food. He only really caught on when he was shoveling a spoonful in his mouth.

It was  _ unfairly _ good. Kurapika should not be allowed to be so effortlessly talented at so many things. Leorio had to work for all his talents. 

Gon was carrying most of the conversation and it took about half of the dinner for Leorio’s sleepy brain to notice that. He was busy filling his empty stomach and trying not to nod back off and didn’t notice that there was only one person really talking with occasional clarifications and affirmative noises from the others. Kurapika would toss a topic out whenever Gon’s words slowed down and the teen would spring to life again. 

He forced himself to slow down on devouring the food - he was so hungry and it was so good -and contribute something to the conversation. 

Killua was the only one who didn’t say much. The teen spent a lot of time smiling softly as Gon talked and Leorio looked up on two different occasions to find Killua looking at  _ him  _ with an unreadable expression.

He picked up from bits of conversation that nothing had happened after he’d fallen asleep. Kurapika had picked Gon up, they’d come back to Leorio’s apartment, they’d made dinner, and finished some homework. No vampire wannabe around. Hisoka wasn’t even home.

(According to Gon, it was Hisoka’s night to work. Leorio would never understand when the two were chatting.)

Leorio chatted some about shadowing Cheadle in the trauma ward and a few of his less gross patients. They all agreed Tonpa was the utter worse which made Leorio happy. Any conversation that could be summarized as ‘Tonpa sucks’ was a good conversation in his opinion. 

“When’s your next shift?” Gon asked around a mouthful of curry. That might have been another reason Gon was the main one talking. He didn’t mind chatting with food in his mouth. 

“Tomorrow night.” He answered as he finished his own serving. Kurapika rose gracefully and took his plate away.

“Really?” Killua shifted forward in his seat and stared at Leorio like that was interesting. “So tonight is your only night off this week?”

Leorio shrugged and watched with wide eyes as Kurapika came back with a slice of chocolate cake.

It was fantastic, of course. He devoured it because he couldn’t remember the last time he’d treated himself to a homemade cake and barely resisted the urge to lick his plate.

About fifteen minutes after dinner, both teens were suspiciously missing. Leorio’s still mildly foggy mind didn’t notice their absence until he was passing dirty dishes to Kurapika to wash and drying the dishes passed back to him by the blond. 

“Why are we the only ones here?”

Kurapika shot him an amused and somewhat fond smile along with a wet tea cup. “I suppose you were asleep when they were making plans. They’re finishing Gon’s homework and then Killua was going to show Gon some new characters he unlocked in one of their games.”

Leorio dried the teacup that had to be Kurapika’s because he didn’t own any and set it on the counter to put away later. He took the bowl he was handed and started to dry it off as well; and that was when the very obvious thing Kurapika had just indicated actually dawned on him.

He was alone with Kurapika.

Being alone wasn’t something that had happened a whole hell of a lot since that first date. They’d chatted via text and while Gon and Killua were around but just being alone…

They’d been taking it slow. Leorio didn’t know who Pairo was anymore than Kurapika knew who Pietro was. The silent ghosts of their past had hung over their interactions and made them cautious of pushing too much too quickly. They knew what could be lost and they knew what that hurt like. 

And there were other things to think of as well. Leorio didn’t know what had happened to Killua and Kurapika that caused their current situation. He didn’t know what made Killua disassociate and change whatever object was nearest into a weapon. He didn’t know why they were scared of the vampiric looking man. 

He didn’t know Kurapika’s medical history and there would  _ always  _ be a chance of another terrible disease. There weren’t always signs you could detect with them.

But…

Leorio put the bowl in the upper cabinet and accepted the second bowl Kurapika quietly passed him. It was a natural motion and felt coordinated and  _ right  _ in a way that Leorio didn’t know how to interpret. It was just passing a dish but it was domestic and it made his heart thump.

He had fears, legitimate, justified, fears about building a relationship with Kurapika-hell, with anyone. With Kurapika though, for the first time in  _ such  _ a long time, there were more things about starting a relationship that excited and even thrilled him than there were that terrified him. 

Kurapika was easy to talk to. Gon could talk to a rock if it gave him the time of day but Leorio wasn’t  _ quite _ that skilled. He was opinionated and cagey with new relationships. He was a bit of a cynic and sometimes that made it hard to connect with people. 

Kurapika seemed to click with him. He was funny in a dry way that cracked Leorio up and he was loyal even though he went about his caring in a quiet way. He was melancholic in a way that was bizarrely soothing, especially with all the overly optimistic people Leorio had to hang out with. He didn’t seem to mind taking things slow but he also didn’t mind pushing. 

They had similar sense of humor, similar opinions on what was and wasn’t a good game (which Killua and Gon disagreed with) and similar opinions on healthcare which was something that had broken numerous friendships and stopped a few romances before they could get started in Leorio’s life.

He could see Kurapika’s heart in the way he was gentle with Killua and always sincere with Gon and he liked it all.

Leorio was, quite simply, starting to fall quite hard and they hadn’t really talked about it. In fact, it kinda seemed like there was an unspoken agreement not to speak about it. The whole thing felt like it was waiting for someone to make the first move, and he wasn’t sure if it was him or Kurpaika. 

Leorio put the bowl up and realized that was the last dish. 

“Any,” he swallowed, throat suddenly dry and towel still awkwardly clutched in his hand, “anything you want to do?” He set the towel on a hook he never used for anything and tilted his head towards the blond. Kurapika was already staring at him with a small smile. 

“Do you have homework?”

Probably but he could let it slide for now. The move, whatever it was, felt like it was about to be made.

“Nothing important. We could watch tv, join the boys, or…”

“Or?”

Leorio stared at Kurapika, noticing the freckles that decorated his nose and the long bangs that fell in his eyes, and decided to be the one to make whatever move they were waiting for.

After all, Kurapika had asked him on the date, it was only fair that he took the next step.

“Talk? Just us.” He reached out and draped his hand over Kurapika’s damp hand. 

Kurapika turned his hand around and laced their fingers together. “That sounds lovely.”

They went to the couch because the table felt too formal for what Leorio was going for. He found himself stupidly happy that his apartment wasn’t large enough and he wasn’t rich enough for a full sized couch because it meant he had to sit close to Kurapika and  _ god _ it was immediately fantastic. They sat sideways so they could chat with each other more comfortably, knees touching because Leorio’s lanky limbs were finally coming in handy. Leorio draped his arm over the back of the couch and Kurapika mirrored him. He held the pose for a second and then moved his hand so it was settled lightly on Leorio’s bicep. 

He found out Kurapika decided he wanted to be a teacher when Killua joined their family and it was his job to help him with school. He described teaching Gon how to ride a bike and that it had cemented in his head he wanted to heal people when he was bandaging up the resulting bloody knee and elbows. (Gon would never practice basic caution and Leorio loved him anyway.)

Kurapika started doing this thing with his fingers that had about 80% of Leorio’s attention. He was just resting his hand on Leorio’s arm and trailing his fingers in a little circle up and down his bicep but it felt  _ natural _ and relaxing. It felt like they had done this hundreds of times. 

The conversation lulled as they stared at each other. He felt like he should ask about this morning and why both their reaction to the stranger in the hall had been fear. He felt like he should ask why Kurapika trusted him to watch Killua and why it didn’t feel weird that they’d done so.

More than that though, he wanted to stare until he could understand  _ why.  _ Why Kurapika and why now. 

Kurapika reached out to him, cupping his cheek for a long moment, his hand warm and gentle before it slid down his neck-thumb brushing over the corner of his lip-and settling on his chest. Leorio wrapped his own hand around the blond’s, keeping Kurapika attached and close. 

"I feel," Kurapika murmured as if he was thinking out loud, "comfortable with you. I... I don't often feel that way."

Leorio could reply in a million different ways. Something funny, quippy, or even ridiculous. He didn't want to. He wanted whatever this thing was. Fear of this going wrong be damned. 

He was a doctor. Not yet, but he would be soon. He had to be okay with uncertainty or he’d never make it. 

Leorio squeezed the hand in his. "It's the same for me."

Somehow, they leaned in at the same time, meeting in the middle with a soft kiss that made Leorio clutch the back of the couch. Kurapika's fingers kept brushing against his bicep amazingly even as he drew back after a handful of seconds. Leorio pressed forward before he could get away, answering his retreat with a more forceful kiss, his hand moving up to cup Kurapika's cheek and hold him close. Kurapika pressed nearer in response and all Leorio could think was  _ yes _ . 

He tilted his head, deepening the kiss as Kurapika's free hand moved to wrap around his waist. Kurapika released a small noise that made Leorio's heart pound when his hand found the blond locks and Leorio had no idea why he'd waited so long to do this. 

He shifted his hand down Kurapika’s cheek to his neck and took comfort in the steady  _ thump - thump - thump  _ of the blond’s pulse under his finger tips. Whatever else happened this moment was real and Kurapika was alive. His tired mind couldn’t make this up. It couldn’t imagine the warmth of Kurapika’s touch or the slight chill of his earring brushing against the back of Leorio’s knuckles.

He kissed his way across Kurapika’s face to the distracting earrings. He pressed his lips against the soft skin behind the blond’s ear and felt the resulting shiver that raced through Kurapika’s entire body. He brushed his nose along the edge of his ear, the cool metal a sensation he could really grow to like. Kurapika’s hand grasped his bicep, squeezing like he needed an anchor, and he inhaled sharply.

“Leorio,” he breathed, voice a low octave Leorio enjoyed, “what do you want?”

“Hmm?” He asked distractedly because he was exploring Kurapika’s ear and he couldn’t quite figure out how the earring worked. 

“Oh-” Kurapika caught his other arm as he nibbled the shell of the blond’s ear, “from this?” He managed with a bit of difficulty that made Leorio’s blood feel hot.

But he’d asked a question and Leorio owed it to him (to them both) to take it seriously. He pulled away with one last kiss as a promise to return. He was going to figure that earring out.

There was a flush high on Kurapika’s cheeks and it looked good on the blond. 

“I want…” He trailed off and thought for a moment and his horny, tired mind pulled a few rambling words together. “ I want someone I can care for? Someone who will care for me too. I’d like…” He inhaled and noticed Kurapika’s hands hadn’t moved from his arms. “I’m not looking for some fling. My life is too crazy for something that’d just be a quick distraction and if I wanted a one night thing I’d got to some bar.”

Whatever his rambling words amounted to, they seemed to be what Kurapika wanted to hear. The blond’s hands eased their grip and the right one resumed it’s dizzying circles. 

“I’m particular about how clean my home is.” Kurapika murmured, his eyes locked on Leorio, “I like schedules and I am overly protective of Killua. If that isn’t too off putting, then I’d like to pursue this with you.”

Leorio cupped Kurapika’s cheek again. His heart was fluttering as his lips quirked in a smile. He tilted his head forward until their foreheads were pressed together and he didn’t care if it looked sappy. It was just them and this was important.

“I’m always tired and I work wild hours.” He replied, voice soft and steady, “I’m being stalked by someone my deadbeat cousin pissed off. I have a car that  _ never  _ works and Hisoka has my number. If none of that is too off putting, then I say we do it.”

Kurapika’s kiss was a damn good way to say  _ I’m in. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this _late_ last night (while watching Critical Role so I'm tired and emotionally wrung out) and if there are any glaring errors, please let me know and I'll fix them :) But I finally got that conversation out of the way so onward to plot!
> 
> Also, kiss! *fist-pumps*


	20. Chapter 20

This had started as a dull shift consisting mainly of paperwork and filling out endless insurance forms. Leorio was finally freed from the drudgery of computer work and permitted to do a few rounds and take a look at a few patients. He barely got out of his chair before Cheadle was shoving a chart in his chest with a smirk.

“You want to be a family practitioner, right? Take this one. He’s got a variety of injuries and your suture technique needs some work.” She motioned towards the room the patient was in and strolled off.

He glanced down at the chart in his hands and flipped it open. It listed several injuries consistent with some sort of back-alley fight. Bruises, lacerations, a cracked rib, and an alarmingly high blood alcohol percentage.

He walked as he read, resigned to a potentially violent patient and found the room. He plastered on a smile, adjusted his glasses, and promptly realized he’d been an idiot.

He hadn’t bothered to read the name on the chart. Glancing at his patient was the moment he realized the obvious fact that it was Hisoka. On the list of people Leorio expected to see in the trauma ward, his neighbor was not one of them.

Which, honestly? Was more of a failing on his part than anything else. You couldn’t meet Hisoka and not think he probably saw (started) his fair share of trouble. He was basically a flashing neon sign for trouble. Really, the surprising thing should have been how _long_ it took for Hisoka to show up.

Hell, maybe he was here a lot and Leorio had just been fortunate enough to avoid him.

“Mmm,” Hisoka leaned back against his bed and smiled leisurely like he wasn’t bleeding from several stab wounds. “Hello, _doctor._ ”

The nurse, a woman named Nell who made great cookies and didn’t deserve the trouble of dealing with Hisoka, gave him a ‘sorry you joined this madness’ sort of smile.

“How,” he asked as he strode into the room and deposited the chart at the foot of the bed, “did you manage to get stabbed four times?”

Hisoka smiled in his way that was somehow seductive and menacing. “Four? Was that all?” He hummed and glanced down at his chest. “It seemed like more. I’d say that’s fairly admirable for a fight of twelve against one.”

He reached Hisoka and lifted his arm. There was a laceration across the back that wasn’t deep, thankfully, but was long. He could see a jagged scar under the cut that he couldn’t help but wonder about. He had a feeling this wasn’t the first time Hisoka had been stabbed.

“Your hands are warm. Even through the gloves.” Hisoka observed. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Perfect for a doctor… and other things.”

“Nell,” Leorio asked, ignoring Hisoka for the moment, “could you bring me the suture kit?”

She nodded and moved towards the door before pausing. She eyed them both like she wasn’t certain he’d be okay. He offered her a smile that didn’t seem to calm her but did result in her leaving.

“So, are you gonna ask me what happened, Doctor?”

Leorio moved to inspect the other arm. The cut on it was less concerning. “Should I?”

Hisoka shrugged and leaned back so Leorio could get a better look at the wound on his chest. It was the deepest of the cuts but nothing that was a danger. “Depends on how often you see friends here. Stabbed ones.”

“Amazingly, most of the people I know don’t end up stabbed.” He paused and noticed that there were several faded bruises around Hisoka’s middle. He couldn’t help but think of the vampiric creep and wonder if he had done any of this. “Are you safe?”

Why was he even asking? Hisoka radiated unsafeness. He could take care of himself. Leorio was certain of that.

Hisoka’s expression didn’t change in any visible way but the gaze felt somehow softer. “It was a sort of work scuffle. A few of my colleagues heard a rumor about me they didn’t care for. I assured them they were wrong.” He shrugged as the nurse returned. “There wasn’t need for any legal action.”

They hadn’t been talking about legal action. Actually, it hadn’t even occurred to him that Hisoka might be the wronged party. He felt a little guilty about that.

“Good?”

Hisoka turned his gaze to the opposite wall like he was bored. Leorio accepted the suture kit and made sure the area around the numerous lacerations was clean and numb.

He hadn’t done this recently, but thankfully he was actually pretty good at sewing. They’d never had new clothes as a kid so he’d had to learn how to make his stuff last.

The same basic principles applied to this. Which had horrified his mother when he’d explained how valuable her sewing lessons as a kid were.

Hisoka was actually a surprisingly good patient. He didn’t squirm or fidget at all. He held utterly still to the point that Leorio had to check his chest a few times to make certain he was still breathing.

“You’re stitches are far neater than some I’ve seen.” Hisoka commented when he moved onto the second wound.

“Thanks.” He glanced at the scarred over laceration and couldn’t help but wonder who had done that stitching. It had scarred in a noticeable way which made him think it wasn’t someone who was accustomed to the work.

“So,” he hummed as he continued, “work colleagues?”

“Of a sort. Not as refined as me.” 

“Seems like it.” He finished the arm and motioned for Hisoka to lay back. He smiled in a way that made Leorio roll his eyes. He couldn’t wait to text Kurapika about this. The teacher would probably laugh…

He might wait to tell him in person. Kurapika had a really nice laugh.

(And now he was thinking of Kurapika’s lips. Dang it.)

“Judging from what you said,” He added as he tried not to think of soft blond hair and warm lips, “you’ve had stitches before? You know how to take care of them?”

“If I said no, would you make a house call?” Hisoka laughed. Nell shot Leorio a look of utter concern. He wanted to explain but there wasn’t really a way to explain the weirdness that was Hisoka.

He could clarify one thing though. “He’s my neighbor.” He told her and tried not to notice the way Hisoka wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She nodded with an expression he couldn’t read.

“I know how to take care of them, though I’m still open to a house call.” He winked and smirked at the annoyed glance Leorio sent his way. “I must say, it is nice to see you actually at work. Gives me a better picture for my imagination.”

It was so tempting to stab him with the needle. He’d settle for something less likely to get him kicked out of medical school. Maybe he’d hide Hisoka’s door mat.

He finished the job and left the rest of the work to the nurses. He didn’t leave until someone joined Nell because he wasn’t certain how uncomfortable Hisoka would make her.

It shouldn’t have surprised him that he got a text.

_[You really do look yummy in that uniform, Doctor. :d :-* ]_

_[Thanks for the stitches. I’ll let you know if I need that house call ;) ]_

Really, none of it should have been surprising.

* * *

Gon wanted to take Killua on a date but they were both broke. (Gon didn’t get an allowance because Leorio was broke and his dad was a dead beat. Killua had spent what he had on games.)

The duo came up with a group outing because they’d need a ride to do anything fun. That was how Leorio found himself in the middle of a hiking trail with his hand wrapped around Kurapika’s and a mostly eaten bag of trail mix.

He couldn’t spot the teens through the foliage but he could still hear them because Gon would always be loud regardless of his location. It was a mostly endearing trait. (When it wasn’t early and he wasn’t tired.)

“I haven’t been on a hike since I was a child.” Kurapika commented as they made their way around a fallen tree. It was small enough that Leorio could step over it comfortably and Kurapika could get over it uncomfortably.

“I used to do them in my first year of college. They’re one of Gon’s favorite past times. That and fishing.” He offered his hand to Kurapika and assisted him over the tree. The blond smiled appreciatively at the gesture and it meant they got to hold hands again.

“Fishing? Gon?” Kurapika glanced in the direction the teen’s shouts were coming from incredulously. Leorio smiled to himself at the surprise. It was a fair reaction. Gon didn't give off 'I can hold still' energy.

“Yeah. You wouldn’t know it to look at him but he’s incredible at fishing and hunting in general. He can stay still for hours if it means he can catch something.”

“He should show Killua how to do that. I’m sure he’d enjoy it.” Kurapika turned his eyes back on Leorio and something in the soft gaze made him blush. He had no idea why. It just made his stomach kind of fluttery and warm at the same time.

He still wasn’t sure what _this_ was going to be. He knew they were in it together but it felt like it had the potential to be something really big. He didn’t want to psyche himself out though so he was trying not to think about that and just take things day by day. They'd feel it all out together.

(It was going pretty well so far.)

Kurapika stared at him for a moment longer, lips lifted in a soft smile, and squeezed his hand. “Come on. We can’t let them beat us.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Kurapika stuck close and Leorio suffered mildly erratic heartbeats from the nearness. He managed to avoid a large spider web and distract Kurapika enough not to notice it because he didn't want to dampen the date. He had the extreme fun of jumping over a fallen log and watching Kurapika scowl as he climbed over it in a gangly, extremely ungraceful way. Leorio made it up to him by kissing him when he got back down and didn’t even notice the leaves Kurapika stuck in his hair in retaliation.

Kurapika was the first to spot the end of the trail and that was how Leorio found himself pulled off the trail, shoved against a tree, and kissed in a deliciously messy way that made him feel like a reckless teenager again. Kurapika smelt like pine needles from the log and he tasted like peanuts which – weird combination aside- was great. He got tree sap on Leorio’s cheeks and shirt but he’d be annoyed about that much, much later.

He blamed that for why he tripped on the rest of the trail.

Gon was the first in Kurapika’s car, with Kurapika second. Killua had his arms full of his and Gon's equipment so Leorio, still buzzy from the kiss and the fun of the day, didn’t think twice about reaching to open Killua’s door for him. He leaned forward to grab the door handle and Killua’s entire body flinched away. Leorio remained perfectly still, mildly worried the canister of water the teen was holding might be turned into a weapon.

“Uh-“ Killua flushed and averted his eyes. Gon and Kurapika were still chatting in the car so Leorio decided to just take a few seconds because this wasn’t something that should make Killua blush. He should have addressed it earlier. He should have said something after the knee on his throat.

“You know,” he said as casually as he could manage while he straightened so he wasn’t leaning over Killua, “I grew up _really_ poor.” The teen didn’t say anything but his tilted his head towards Leorio. “And the thing about that is, you start to get habits and stuff as a kind of protection?” Kurapika and Gon still hadn’t noticed but Killua was looking at him properly now. “I can’t stand the taste of fresh peaches because I grew up only eating the canned stuff. I know the exact number of my checking account at every moment. I tend to hoard things I don’t need because I might not be able to get something again. I panic if I get hungry and eat until I'm sick because I know what it’s like to not eat.”

He exhaled and tried not to remember cold nights curled up with his parents. No heat. Not food. No lights. Just the hope that tomorrow would bring work.

“The thing about habits though, they can be broken.” He reached forward slowly and grabbed the handle. “In the meantime, you learn to live with it. You adapt.” He pulled the door open slowly and waited.

Killua stared at him for another beat. “Thanks,” he finally muttered and climbed into the back seat next to Gon, “old man.”

“Hey,” He joked, “don’t make me turn this car around!”

Gon’s brow furrowed in confusion. “But aren’t we going home anyway?”

“Yeah,” he laughed and couldn’t help but notice Killua’s own lips tugging up in a grin. “We are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? More potential plot sneaking in? You better believe it!


	21. Chapter 21

“Nell told me about your ‘neighbor.’” Tonpa drawled as he leaned against the counter Leorio was working at. He had  _ almost  _ finished the stupid paperwork so of course the obnoxious bastard would pop up now. 

He only had an hour left of his shift. One hour. He’d almost made it through the entire thing without interacting with Tonpa. It would have been the perfect shift. There hadn’t been any horrible injuries, the patients had been nice, and he hadn’t had to reject anyone over insurance. 

He grunted instead of answering in hopes that Tonpa would go away. It didn’t work. Tonpa just smiled and settled further against the counter. He stretched out his legs and crossed his arms over his chest like he was taller than he was and tilted towards Leorio.

“She said you two were pretty cozy. First name basis.”

Leorio’s eye twitched and he hit two of the wrong check boxes. He undid his choices and glared at Tonpa. “Shouldn’t you be working?”

Tonpa smiled. “I am. Sounded like you were having a personal day yesterday.”

“Lay off. He was a patient and nothing else.” He was not getting in a fight over  _ Hisoka.  _ It was bad enough he had to live next to the guy and that the guy had his phone number.

Tonpa ignored his response and continued on. “Last I heard though, you’d gotten yourself a boyfriend. A blond one.”

How in the hell would Tonpa know that? He’d barely mentioned his new relationship to two people and he hadn’t described Kurapika in great physical detail. (If he started describing Kurapika he’d fall down a rabbit hole and it would take him forever to climb back out. He didn’t have that kind of time.)

Neither of the people he’d talked to would tell Tonpa because they couldn’t stand him anymore than Leorio could. (They wouldn’t be friends otherwise.)

“And,” Tonpa continued, “rumor has it that he’s a teacher.” 

Leorio’s fingers paused over the keys. He dragged his gaze to Tonpa and glared at his ugly face. Why would Tonpa know that? Blond was one thing but profession was another thing entirely. 

“What do you want?” He snapped as he moved his hands off the keyboard. If he kept them there he’d end up typing something wrong and he’d have to redo the entire form. He wasn’t staying here longer because of Tonpa. Not without hitting that jackass with a patient chart.

Tonpa shrugged. “Just wondering what the police would think if they knew you’re little boy-toy got in an altercation with twelve other guys who had stab wounds and broken bones.”

What? The guys Hisoka had fought? Why the hell would he care about them?

(Stab?! Hisoka had  _ stabbed  _ them?)

Tonpa’s annoying smile spread. “What? Didn’t ya hear about that?” He laughed like Leorio’s ignorance was hilarious. “Nasty things too. Long slices all over their bodies. He did a number on all twelve of them. He’s lucky they didn’t press charges. Probably gang related.”

It was a weird addition and Leorio would have been confused by it if he wasn’t so pissed. The anger came quick-like it always did with Tonpa - burning through his chest and making his hands clench into fists. 

“Sounds like self-defense. And it doesn’t matter. He was a patient. I don’t care outside of that.” He finished up the last line on the form and saved the document. He pushed away from the computer and stomped past Tonpa. “Go do your rounds or find another way to be useful.”

Tonpa followed after him because he was endlessly annoying. “You know,” he hummed like Leorio would care at all, “they had spiders on their jackets. There are rumors about-”

“I,” Leorio snapped, “said I don’t care. Go bother someone who actually gives a damn-”

He cut himself off as Sommy walked by. The doctor stopped and eyed them both with a pronounced frown that made Leorio’s stomach sink. He was going to get in trouble for that tone. Damn Tonpa and his irritating self. 

* * *

He got stuck with the nastiest jobs for the remainder of his shift. It sucked but he was free now and he had ice cream and the potential for some cuddle time with Kurapika. They were having dinner at the blond’s apartment and Leorio was so for it. 

He stopped by his own apartment first, investigated the door mat suspiciously only to find it was package and letter free. Gon was inside with a pile of homework on the table and a decidedly frowny expression. 

“Gon? Everything okay, bud?”

Gon jumped in surprise as Leorio shut and locked the door. “Huh? Oh, hi Leorio!” The frown was still firmly in place despite the cheerful greeting. 

Leorio set his bag on the counter and toed off his shoes. “Everything okay?”

Gon rubbed at his arms uncomfortably and moved his weight back and forth between his legs. Leorio waited for at least a minute before Gon finally responded.

“Do… Do you think I’m dumb?”

“No.” He answered without hesitation. Gon was a lot of things but stupid wasn’t one of them. He might not be great at math but he was sharp as a tack on a lot of other things. 

Wait, had someone told Gon he was dumb? Who? Leorio would go after anyone who insulted his family. (Minus Ging. He'd join in on those insults.)

Gon slumped and dropped his arms to his side. “But I can’t do any of this stuff by myself. It just… It doesn’t make sense.”

Leorio crossed the room to Gon’s side and peered at the homework in question. It was all math sheets. Poor guy. 

“Gon, just ‘cause you struggle in a class doesn’t mean you’re dumb.” 

“But,” Gon frowned and grabbed a handful of the papers in a grumpy fist. Leorio had to shove his own hands in his pockets to keep from stopping him. He didn’t think it would be a good idea for them to be wrinkled. It’d probably get him points deducted. “I don’t want to keep struggling. I don’t want to be dumb. I don’t want -” He cut himself off unhappily and shoved the handful of papers into his open backpack. They were really rumpled now. 

He hadn’t been ready for this conversation and he wasn’t sure what to say. Mito probably had soft and encouraging words at the ready. Leorio’s mind was an unhelpful blank other than  _ you’re note dumb.  _

How did people parent so easily? Tv made it look like it just happened. 

“Uh,” he started stupidly, “why… what’s got ya feelin’ dumb?”

“It’s nothing.” Gon plastered on a fake smile and gathered the other papers up. “I’ll work on it when I get home tonight.” 

That was weird. “Why not get Killua to help? I thought you two-”

“No!” Gon said way too loudly and quickly. Gon was always too loud but he was never quite that frantic. He seemed to realize he’d over reacted because he tried to put the smile back on. “I don’t want to bug him. He’s got games and stuff he wants to play.”

Leorio was tired. Leorio was hungry. Leorio knew that was a lie despite the other stuff. His cousin was hiding something and Gon never hid anything. 

“I could help?”

Gon shoved the remaining papers in his bag. “Uh, you don’t have to. I can probably figure it out myself.” 

“You know we don’t mind helping? We like to?”

Gon zipped his backpack shut. He mumbled something too quietly for Leorio to hear. 

“What?”

Gon blew out a noisy breath. “I don’t want Killua to think I’m stupid. He’s always helping me with his homework and he’s always done his before I get over there.”

Leorio leaned against the edge of the table and turned his head towards Gon. “You know that’s because Killua does his homework in the morning. He’s homeschooled.” 

Sort of. Leorio wasn’t sure what all was going on there. Just that Killua did his schoolwork at home. 

Gon rolled his eyes. “I know that. But he never struggles with any of the answers.” 

“No one thinks you’re stupid, Gon.” He paused and studied the slight frown tugging down his cousin’s lips. It looked wrong on him. “You don’t have to get his help with it though. I’m happy to help you with it. I struggled with math too.”

Gon stared at him like that was crazy. “But you’re a doctor.” 

It made him unreasonably happy to hear Gon say that. Leorio wasn’t a doctor yet but it was still so nice to hear that. Doctor Leorio. 

“Yeah but it took a long time to get there.” He pushed off the table and pat Gon’s arm. “Come on, get your stuff together. We’re going over for dinner. You don’t have to bring your homework. You just have to make sure it’s done before you go to bed tonight.” 

Gon nodded and zipped his backpack shut. Leorio went to his bedroom and changed into a clean pair of slacks and a nice button down and came out to find Gon in a clean t-shirt with a happier smile. He’d snagged the bag of ice cream off the counter and was bouncing eagerly on his feet.

Leorio tugged the door open and closed it right back up. The vampiric dude was back and waiting outside of Hisoka’s door. He hadn’t been looking at their apartment but Leorio couldn’t help the immediate panic that filled his stomach. 

“Deck.” He ordered. “We’re going over via deck.” 

Gon’s brow was furrowed in confusion. “Wasn’t that Gittackur?”

The panic surged up through his stomach to his chest and through his entire body. Why in the  _ hell  _ did Gon know that man’s name?! 

He spun on his heel to face his cousin and stretched to his full height. “How do you know that? Has he talked to you?!”

Gon stepped back with his eyes going wide. “Uh. Sorta?” He pulled the ice cream nearer to his chest and swallowed. “He hangs around Hisoka sometimes?”

Leorio grabbed his shoulders and scanned his face and body for any obvious injuries. “What happened? What did he say?” Oh god- “What did  _ you  _ say?”

Gon stared up at him, utterly perplexed. “Nothing? He asked me my name and if I lived around here. Hisoka started talking about his cat and I didn’t get a chance to say anything.”

Leorio felt shaky. Adrenaline, probably. “Don’t talk to him. He’s… Just don’t talk to him. He’s dangerous.”

Gon nodded. Leorio didn’t expect the immediate acceptance. He didn’t want to push and loose it so he plastered on a tremendously fake smile. “Let’s go over to Kurapika’s now. They’re probably waiting on us for dinner.” 

Gon’s lips lifted in a cheerful smile as he bounced over to the deck door. Leorio made sure the front door was locked and joined him. 

* * *

Dinner was delicious and Leorio could hardly enjoy it because he felt guilty. He needed to tell Kurapika about Gittackur (Leorio would seriously eat his shabby bag if that was the man’s name) but he did  _ not  _ want to scare Killua. 

He had to wait for after dinner when the boys darted off to Killua’s room. Kurapika took the news in much better stride this time. He nodded like it was somehow expected and finished cleaning the dish Leorio passed him. 

“Thank you for telling me. I’ve expected him to be around more and I prefer knowing when he’s here.” 

That… Leorio had expected a different response. He couldn’t think of a good response as he passed another plate over and dried the one Kurapika had just cleaned. 

Kurapika studied him through his peripherals. Finally he gave a soft sigh. “He is likely one of the men from Killua’s past. Someone who knew his parents.”

That was enough to confirm Leorio’s fears. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Killua’s birth parents had been abusive. You didn’t get the kind of habits Killua had without extensive and consistent abuse. If the man had been around then he had probably known about the abuse.

He might have even been involved. 

Was he a spy of sorts? Someone who wanted to get information back to Killua’s birth parents? Why was he even around?

Kurapika passed him another plate. “Thank you for watching out for us.” 

“Can the police do anything?”

He offered Leorio a wry look. “You should know how well that’s gone. He’s never done anything so we can’t get a restraining order. You can only get protection  _ after  _ something’s gone wrong.” Kurapika passed him the last dish and he put it away in the cabinet. The blond caught his hand and pulled him towards the living room. They settled on the couch together with Kurapika leaning against his side and looping Leorio’s arm around his shoulders. Leorio tugged him in close and enjoyed the warmth of him by his side. 

“I’ll tell you about it someday.” Kurapika said quietly. 

“I can wait.” Leorio promised. 

Kurapika tilted his head against Leorio’s chest and closed his eyes. Leorio couldn’t help but notice how tired he looked. His heart clenched at the sight and his fingers twitched with the urge to check the blond’s pulse. He just wanted to make sure he was okay. 

“You’re very comfortable to be so lanky.” Kurapika murmured sleepily. Leorio chuckled and kissed the top of Kurapika’s hair. He forcibly pushed the fear away. He’d focus on it later. Now was time for cuddles and comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how this chapter happened, lol. I didn't intend to start with Tonpa but he just popped up.


	22. Chapter 22

A month and a half of dating. It wasn’t a huge milestone but it was a milestone and Leorio was thinking about it. 

He’d been dating Kurapika for longer than he got to date Pietro. He’d only gotten a week of proper dating with him and then…

The middle of a shift wasn’t the time to be thinking about any of this. He had a long night ahead of himself and those sort of thoughts would make it stretch endlessly. 

There weren’t any children so far and that, as usual, made it easier to push the memories away. He could focus on happier stuff and finishing up his paperwork. Leorio managed to dodge three different interactions with Tonpa so this was a pretty great shift. It was even better because he was getting live updates from Kurapika about Gon and Killua’s attempts to make dessert by themselves. They’d chased him into his bedroom (he still wanted to know what Kurapika’s bedroom looked like for a lot of reasons) and was still texting every few minutes. 

Leorio looped around the long corridor as his phone pinged. He had another round to make and more paperwork in the distance. Damn insurance forms. 

_ [Killua and Gon have gone quiet. I'm afraid to see what’s happened to my kitchen.] _

He started to type up a response when a small body barreled into him. A child in a hospital gown with a bandage arm fell against his legs, dark hair in wild disarray.

“Woah,” he called gently and caught them by their bandage-free arm before they could collapse. A glance around the hall showed no one else around besides a nurse who was busy with a cart, “careful.” The child reeled backwards, face scratched and bruised. They looked like abrasions from skidding along a surface of some sort. A crash? 

“Hey,” he knelt down so he wasn’t towering above them and offered as friendly a smile as he could. He remembered how exhausting it was to stare up at his father before he’d hit his own growth spurt. If there had been a crash he didn’t want the kid having to strain their neck to see him, “you okay?”

“No.” The kid stated plainly. 

Leorio’s phone pinged again and he ignored it as his smile shifted into something a little more serious. “What’s up? Something hurt?” He looked around but there was still no one around beside the nurse who spared them a single glance before continuing her work. 

The child shook their head. Their hair was a tangled mess that hadn’t been well cared for. Their eyes were a shockingly pale blue that were too wide and their pupils were heavily constricted. Caused by medication? Probably.

“What’s your name?” 

No response but a blink and a frown. 

They had a medical wristband so he turned the label around to see what it said. The name had been scratched out heavily but he could make out an ‘A.’ Sommny was their doctor and they’d been admitted the previous day. 

The child stared up at him with their pale eyes and blinked slowly. They swayed and reached for his hand. He took it on instinct and straightened. 

“Let’s get you back to your room so I can see what’s up.” He said as cheerfully as he could without sounding crazy. The nurse had ditched her cart so he went up to it and entered his id. He brought up the program and typed the child’s number in to find their room assignment. 

They had a  _ private  _ room. The name was listed as ‘Jane Doe’ which made zero sense because there had been an actual name on the wristband at one point and Jane Doe’s couldn’t afford private rooms like this. 

Something weird was up. It stank and he really didn’t like a child being involved in the stink. He wanted their name and some information. He… He wasn’t sure what he could do but he could at least be ready to file a report to the police.

He wanted a look at the patient file at least. 

“Alright,” he slouched a little so the child didn’t have to reach up as high to hold his hand. Curse his freakish height, “this way.” 

The child nodded and followed as he went to the elevator. He punched in the button for the floor and eyed them again. They were staring at the floor now and worrying their bottom lip. He couldn’t help but notice how thin their face was. They were too young to have gotten rid of their baby fat properly. 

He didn’t like any of it.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. This hallway was a lot busier which made sense because these were the patients who could afford all the attention they wanted. 

The child’s hand tightened around his. 

“You okay, kiddo?”

Nervous eyes blinked up at him and, weirdly, looked darker than they had been. Her pupils were highly dilated now. 

Every ounce of doctor training he had twisted at that sight. Eyes shouldn’t switch that closely. Especially not on someone so young. 

He sped up and went straight to the private room. It was empty. There wasn’t anyone nervously waiting, there weren’t any balloons, stuffed animals, flowers, or coloring books. None of the normal gifts given to children and nothing personal in the room. It was enough to make him pause and check the room number. 

“Thank you.” The child murmured in a subdued voice. They went to the bed and climbed up on it with a wince as they applied pressure to their bad arm. Leorio hurried after them, panic twisting in his gut, and helped them recline back. He offered a cheerful smile and reached for the chart at the foot of the bed.

A chart that was not there. 

What?

“Hey,” he kept his tone professional and tried not to show his increasing alarm. “Can you tell me what happened to your arm?”

The child blinked slowly and it looked like her pupils contracted. 

“We… I fell.”

He sat at the foot of the bed so he wasn’t as tall. “Fell?” It took more control than it should to keep his voice even. He couldn’t think anything but:  _ abuse.  _ This child had been hurt and they were not in a safe situation. He needed to get them help and he needed to do it before they were released.

“The tree in the backyard. Brother made it look easy to climb.” The child dropped their gaze to the blanket and fiddled with it awkwardly. “Brother made everything look easy.”

“Leorio?”

He jumped and jerked his eyes towards the door. Doctor Sommy was standing there with his arms crossed and a pronounced frown on his lips. “What are you doing in here?” 

“I was helping this little champ,” he tapped the bed beside the child’s foot, “find their way back. The hospital’s big and confusing.”

Sommy eyed him and Leorio did not like the way the gaze felt. He couldn’t quite interpret what was going on with it. He felt, weirdly, like he was a kid and had just been caught in his parents’ bedroom without permission. Like he was someplace he shouldn’t be and if he didn’t play carefully he’d get in trouble. 

It wasn’t a good feeling. Something was  _ wrong. _

“Good job.” Sommy strode into the room confidently and Leorio stood up. He towered over the other man. “Our little Jane Doe is slippery. Now, I believe you have rounds to attend to?”

“Right.” He tore his eyes away from Sommy and smiled at the child. “I’m going to be downstairs again. I hope you have a good night and let me or one of the nurses know if you need anything.”

The child sprang to their feet and lurched towards him. Thin arms wrapped around his chest as a small voice mumbled. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome. Seriously, let me know if you-”

“That’s enough of that.” Sommy stated in a tone that wasn’t particularly mean but still made Leorio’s hair stand on end. 

The child let him go and mumbled one word as they retreated.

He wasn’t sure what ‘Alluka’ was, but he hoped it was a name.

* * *

Sommy told him there was already a report open and he couldn’t help but doubt the doctor’s words. 

There wasn’t a lot he could do though. He had to continue his rounds and there was a terrible five car pile up that led to a crazy end of his shift. He was going to find a way to check on the child even if he had to pull on a few favors with Cheadle to get information. He’d find out if there was a report and if there wasn’t? He was opening one up. He didn’t care if he was about to be annoying to the police. He’d keep on embroiling himself in cases until something actually happened with one of them. 

Leorio was aching for some spearmint tea. Nell brought him some oversteeped decaf tea that was just bitter and wrong. It wasn’t like Kurapika’s stuff. It wasn’t even the tea he really wanted. He wanted the  _ feeling  _ of drinking it. That steady warmth against his fingers and the calm of Kurapika’s presence. Even when they were disagreeing over something Kurapika felt steadying.

It was 3 am by the time he got off his shift and he was tired but too tightly strung to go to sleep. 

He unlocked his apartment and trudged inside. The tv was on and he could see a pair of feet on the arm of his raggedy couch. Gon had fallen asleep watching something. Hopefully he’d-

That wasn’t Gon. Those socks belonged to Kurapika. 

Leorio ditched his bag, locked the door, and went to the couch. Kurapika was sprawled on his back, mouth open in a quiet snore. He was wearing a pair of blue, silky pajamas with red trim and he’d pulled a blanket over his lap that had mostly fallen to the floor.

_ Why  _ was he here? Leorio was thrilled to see him (everything in him wanted to flop on top of the blond and fall asleep with his soft warmth) but why? Shouldn’t he be with the kids? Where was Gon?

Weird or not, Leorio was  _ so  _ happy to see him. Especially looking all soft and peaceful in his sleep. The blond really was dizzyingly handsome. Leorio moved towards him, taking in the way his hair laid over his face and how the lines of concentration slipped away as he dozed. He knelt next to the sleeping man and brushed his knuckles against Kurapika’s cheek. 

He had really soft skin. How did he do it?

Kurapika’s eyes fluttered open slowly. He yawned sleepily and tilted his head into Leorio’s gentle touch. 

“Leorio?” 

He smiled. “Hey,”

Kurapika grabbed the hand on his cheek and squeezed. “What time is it?”

“After 3. Where are the boys?”

Kurapika pushed up on his arm and Leorio couldn’t help but admire the muscles. “My apartment. Gon fell asleep on the couch and I didn’t have the heart to move him.”

Honestly Kurapika’s couch was probably nicer than Gon’s air mattress. He’d be fine. It was a weekend anyway.

He leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Kurapika’s lips. Kurapika responded, immediately deepening it and wrapping his hand around Leorio’s neck. He sat up properly as they kissed and his other hand moved to Leorio’s arms, finger’s running up and down his bicep leaving a distracting trail of heat. He could feel goosebumps spreading across his skin.

“Why are you here?” he finally asked because it felt important even though he really just wanted to kiss. Kurapika tasted like spearmint. 

“You stopped responding. Thought it had to be a bad shift. Did you eat?”

Leorio shook his head and Kurapika’s hand slid higher up into his hair. Long fingers drug through his locks, making his entire body relax. “I made baked spaghetti if you’d like some? It doesn’t hold a candle to Melody’s but-”

“It sounds delicious.” It did and he couldn’t believe that Kurapika had brought him some and worried about him. His shift had turned bad and his phone had died and he’d missed hearing the ‘ping’ of his new texts. He hadn’t realized how connected that silly sound made him feel to Kurapika, Killua, and even Gon. 

Kurapika kissed him once more and got up. “Get comfortable,” He ordered with a commanding push. “I’ll get dinner for you.” 

Leorio changed into his own pajamas (basketball shorts and an old t-shirt) while Kurapika heated his meal up. He came back up and curled up with him on the couch. Kurapika’s arm wrapped around his waist to hold him securely and their height difference should make it awkward but mostly it just made him want to wrap around the shorter blond.

Halfway through the meal Kurapika began to draw circles in the muscles of his chest. He didn’t want to think about police reports or terrible people. He didn’t want to think about homework or chores or bills or any of the other hundreds of things demanding his attention. The food was delicious but he didn’t really want to eat anymore. 

Not when there was something  _ so  _ much tastier next to him. He took the time to put the plate on the coffee table and turned towards his boyfriend. 

Kurapika’s eyes looked a little red in the tv’s light. “Too much?”

He shook his head and got his hand in the blond locks. “Not enough.” 

Kurapika got up on his knees so they were eye to eye. Leorio settled his hand on Kurapika’s waist and leaned towards him. His boyfriend met him halfway in a sweet kiss and-

_ Yes. _

The worry receded as Kurapika kissed him, holding him close, guiding him backwards on the too-small couch. Leorio shoved his legs off the side and coaxed Kurapika into straddling his waist. He tilted his head back as Kurapika trailed sucking kisses down his neck and he slipped his hands up Kurapika’s silky shirt. 

It hit him as he urged Kurapika nearer, that he might be falling in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay :( My electricity has given me a big old middle finger this week and kept going out so my writing schedule got behind. Regardless, I've got all the players on the board and the plot is in full progress now! Ha!
> 
> We'll have more leopika and killugon in the next chapters :)


	23. Chapter 23

Leorio woke when the body next to him shifted away. It was the sort of abrupt waking that made his heart pound. It beat faster when he realized he was naked.

His immediate worry of bad decisions was pushed away when he realized the naked body shifting beside him was Kurapika. The memories came trickling back into his exhausted mind as Kurapika’s arm glided over his chest. A kiss was pressed against the back of his neck and a soft sigh escaped his lips.

“Kurapika?” He garbled the name a little in his mouth.

Another kiss. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“Time is it?”

Kurapika’s arm looped around his chest and squeezed him back into a hug. “Seven. I’m going to check on the boys before they wake up.” Kurapika’s lips moved up to his jaw. “Stay here and get some more sleep.”

He caught Kurapika’s hand before it could get away. It was softer than his own dry, calloused hands. Such was the sacrifice of a doctor. Handwashing was hell on hands. He really liked the way Kurapika’s hand felt in his own. It was easy to wrap up and pleasantly warm.

“Did you get any sleep?” He tugged the captive hand up and pressed a kiss to Kurapika’s knuckles. He’d blame the sappy action on exhaustion if he was asked. It wasn’t, of course. The emotions and affection were always around.

“Mmm,” Kurapika’s hand slid through his hair and it worked some sort of magic that made Leorio’s eyes slip shut and his body go limp, “plenty.” Kurapika found his lips and gave him a long kiss that was just a press of lips and shared breath. It still made his chest surge with warmth.

“Go back to sleep.” Kurapika whispered, “I’ll have breakfast ready when you wake up.”

The next time Leorio woke up it was because the sun was being inconsiderately bright. He shoved the blanket off his shoulders with a scowl that turned into a yawn and stretched. The movement caused a dull pain in his shoulder and a quick inspection showed an  _ impressive  _ bruise in the shape of a mouth. Huh. He wouldn’t have taken Kurapika as the type to bite. Not that he’d paid a whole lot of attention to that at the time. Kurapika was very skilled with his hands.

He spent a moment feeling loose and happy before more memories started to slip in. The memory of yesterday’s shift wasn’t welcome and eliminated most of the happy buzz.

_ Alluka… _

He wasn’t certain, but he was going to go forward with the opinion that it was the child’s name. The phantom weight of her arms around his waist was going to haunt him until he figured out what was going on. He wasn’t dumb enough to hope it wasn’t abuse. He’d seen those sort of marks before. The break could have been caused by a fall, but it sure as hell wasn’t a fall caused by clumsiness.

He got up from the bed and grabbed his boxers from the previous night off the floor. Tugging them on, he went towards the living room and found his bag. He hadn’t charged his phone which meant he’d need to wait at least a few minutes for it to power up.

These calls sucked. He didn’t mind talking on the phone but he hated the subject matter with a passion. Leorio had always been vaguely aware that reporting was mandatory for people in the medical field but he hadn’t really expected he’d have to do it. He’d thought it would be rare.

So stupidly naïve.

He found a notebook and pen while he waited for his phone to charge up enough to power up. He wrote  _ Alluka  _ across the top in a bold script that looked wrong. She should have something light and pretty.

Scribbling down everything he could remember, he eyed the microwave to see what time it was. It was a little after ten which mean he’d had a few hours of sleep. More than enough to get by on.

_ -Long arm cast, uncertain which part was injured. _

_ -Abrasions and bruises on face and neck consistent with physical abuse _

_ -unhealthy low weight _

_ -Subdued attitude, timid and unwilling to speak with adults _

His phone released a short melody that meant it was powering on. He gave it a few more seconds as he jotted down all the descriptive details of her appearance and what her room number and name info was.

A woman who sounded like Mito answered after the second ring to the hotline. He explained himself in as clinical tone as he could manage. He answered all the questions as accurately as he could while he watched the minutes tick by on the microwave.

The calls were always over quicker than he expected them to be. Nobody on either side of the phone wanted to be giving or receiving the information. No one wanted a child to be abused. It would never fail to be a  _ terrible  _ thing.

He hung up and set the phone down on the counter and the soft noise felt deafening in the silent apartment. God, she couldn’t be a teenager yet. How could people do that? What could possibly-

It was sickening. He’d seen too much of it and every time he swore anew he would never be silent. He’d promised to heal but there were  _ so  _ many more people who had chosen the opposite path. He couldn’t fix it all and there was no end to the suffering.

Leorio dropped his head in his arms and blew out a long breath that didn’t break into a sob. He couldn’t take on all the pain or it’d be over. He had to separate himself from it. He could do what he could and that was all.

He pushed away from the counter and strode back to the bedroom. The bed was still unmade, there was a glass of water on the bedside table and a note was next to it.

A note?

_ I’ll have a batch of pancakes for you when you wake up. Make sure to drink the entire cup and don’t forget to put it in the sink. _

_ I’m glad I came over last night. _

_ -Kurapika _

Leorio read the note twice and then again.

He had pancakes and family waiting. A long shower, brushing his hair and teeth, and getting dressed was all that stood between him and the comfort of family.

That and a glass of water.

* * *

He went via the deck because he had to check on his plants anyway. Killua opened the door for him with a shit eating grin.

“Have fun last night?”

Leorio stared at the teen for a beat and decided he’d turn the tables right back on him. “I certainly did. Kurapika’s got a lot of talents.”

Killua’s face immediately contorted into disgust. “Urgh! Stop. I don’t want details. God, you’re both so gross.”

“Gross isn’t the word I’d use.” He replied blithely as he strolled in the clean apartment. It smelled like butter and pancakes and his stomach immediately rumbled in happy request. Kurapika was at the stove with Gon who had an endearingly serious expression on his face as he worked to flip a pancake. (Chocolate chip pancakes!)

“That smells like heaven.”

Kurapika’s head turned towards him, smile curving his lips up and eyes drinking Leorio in. It made him feel a little warm and now he couldn’t help but return the gaze. Memories of earlier slipped through his mind, slightly hazy and hot. Kurapika’s hands  _ everywhere _ , firm grips on his waist, gasps against his chest, the addicting drag of an ankle against his calf…

He was blushing and didn’t really care.

“Leorio,” he greeted softly, “you’re earlier than I expected.”

“Hey, Leorio! Have you ever tried putting sprinkles in pancakes?” Gon gushed, spinning towards Leorio with his spatula sending bits of butter through the air. “Kurapika showed me and it’s incredible!”

He had never thought of putting sprinkles in pancakes but it sounded fun. 

Killua shut the deck door and went to the table. “There are plenty already made if you want some.” He shoved the platter towards Leorio. “You gotta be hungry.”

Leorio was caught up in Kurapika’s soft smile and didn’t think anything of it for a moment. When he did think about it he couldn’t help but wonder if Killua was thinking about what he’d said about panicking when he was hungry. 

He was probably overthinking it, but if that was the case, he was extremely touched.

Kurapika grabbed a plate out of the cabinet and passed it to him. Leorio took it and bent down to give Kurapika a chaste kiss. Kurapika’s hand cupped his cheek, thumb stroking the skin beside his eye. It was all fantastically domestic and he was so on board for this. Pancakes and morning kisses were so much better than the other part of this morning.

(Please let Alluka be okay.)

He took a seat at the table and pulled a few pancakes off the pile. There were indeed sprinkles in them. It was a bright and cheery addition. 

“So,” he asked around a mouthful of pancake because Kurapika was still at the stove and couldn’t see him, “what’s everyone’s plans today?”

Killua raised an unamused eyebrow. “Gon and I are going to the park after breakfast and probably a movie.”

“Yeah! We just gotta pick the film.” 

He nodded and cut off another bite of pancake. “That sounds like a fun date.” 

Killua blushed and averted his eyes. “It’s not a  _ date.” _

“It’s not?” Leorio could hear the pout in Gon’s voice. 

Killua’s blush darkened. “I - I don’t know! Stop talking about it, it’s embarrassing.”

Kurapika’s hand trailed along the back of his neck as he set more pancakes down. “I’m free today.” He murmured and now Leorio was the one blushing.

Gon dropped into the seat beside Killua and placed a loud, smacking kiss to the other teen’s cheek. Killua’s entire face went pink. Leorio half suspected his hair even turned a little pink, though it might have just been the glow from his blush. 

“Gon,” he berated, “you can’t-”

“But they did! Besides, Killua was smiling.” He stated like that was an obvious reason for a kiss. 

Kurapika sat next to him and hooked his ankle around Leorio’s. It had the immediate effect of sending a warm, happy jolt through Leorio’s stomach. He was fully on board with the more affectionate, touchy-feely side of Kurapika. It made him feel wanted and the combination of dopamine and oxytocin was addicting.

Yeah, much better than the other part of his morning.

* * *

The teens started getting ready to leave for their ‘not a date’ so Leorio decided he’d get some homework done before he enjoyed Kurapika’s free time. If he focused for two or so hours, he could get it all done and have the rest of the day free.

He left Kurapika’s apartment with a smile he couldn’t quite get rid of and a bounce in his step. Even seeing Hisoka coming up the stairs couldn’t dampen it. 

Hisoka’s eyes immediately shot to him and his lips quirked up in a lewd smile. “Mmm,  _ Doctor _ , sign me up for a physical.”

He kept his smile and shut Kurapika’s door. “Hey, how’re the stitches doing?”

Hisoka stopped at the top of the stairs and leaned against the railing. “They’re fine. Though you’re welcome to give a proper examination.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Leorio ignored the motion and moved towards his door. 

“No more run-ins with your ‘colleagues’?” He reached for his door knob and paused as something crinkled under his foot.

Hisoka hummed and ascended the rest of the way. “No. I’m capable of evading a few itsy-bitsy spiders when I want to.”

Leorio barely heard him. There was another note on his door mat. It was shaped like a postcard and he wasn’t sure if it would be from Ging or… the other person.

He bent down cautiously and picked it up between his index finger and his thumb. It was a picture taped to the front of an old postcard. A picture of a wrecked car.

_ Careful who you love.  _ Was scrawled across the back.

What?


	24. Chapter 24

Leorio didn’t recognize the car. It was an older model and the front had been entirely smashed. Anyone who had been in the wreck would not have walked away without serious injuries.

Mito had owned the same car for the last ten years, so it wasn’t hers. It wasn't Kurapika’s, and it certainly wasn’t _his_ car. It wasn’t one he had seen outside the apartment buildings either, not that he remembered at least. 

“Leorio?” Hisoka shuffled closer to him and Leorio’s gut and unhelpful reaction was to jump and clutch the creepy note to his chest so his neighbor couldn’t see it. “Is something the matter?”

“Did you just get here?”

Hisoka raised a well groomed eyebrow. “We were in the middle of a conversation, Doctor.”

Leorio shook his head, eyes darting to both ends of the breezeway but there was no one else moving around. “No, when I came out. Had you just arrived?”

“Yes.” Hisoka shifted his weight and cocked his hip out. “I just got off my shift.”

_Careful who you love._

Who was it referencing? Someone he had loved or did love? Was it a threat to someone?! Was this even a recent picture?

Shit, that opened up a whole other rabbit hole.

“Leorio,” Hisoka sighed in a way that meant he’d probably said it several times now. “What is the note?”

“Just another check in from the local loon.” He plastered on a wild smile and shoved his key in his door. “Have a good morning. Afternoon. Uh, don’t strain the stitches.”

Leorio shoved his way into his apartment and shut the door behind himself. Hisoka was still watching him with a small frown.

He locked the door and went to the counter, flipping on the light so he could see.

It was a photo that had been printed on actual photo paper, and sloppily taped to the postcard. The postcard itself was dogeared and the kind of aged yellow that happened to paper. He _really_ wanted to peel the tape off the photo so he could see the front of the postcard and the back of the photo to see if there were any details he could gleam from it.

Instead he set it down and once again called the police. He’d put the non-emergency line in his contacts and, really, it was just a sad statement on his life that he’d had to use it so soon after doing that.

The conversation was _slightly_ less pointless than usual. He was to drop the evidence off today and they seemed interested in the photo. It would cut in with his date time but maybe Kurapika wouldn’t mind riding with him to the police station?

Nah. That would have to win some kind of award for lamest date idea ever. It was the opposite of romance. 

Leorio pushed away from the counter with a sigh and grabbed a freezer bag to shove the postcard in so he didn’t hurt it between here and the station. Really, he should just invest in evidence bags at this point. Huh. What did they cost? Maybe they were a cheaper option.

He shoved his books in his bag and tried not to feel too annoyed at himself for going down that rabbit trail of thought. 

Kurapika was probably wondering where he’d gone so he needed to stop there first. Hell. maybe he could pick up some frozen pizzas or something for dinner. He was always bumming off Kurapika’s food. 

Oh! He’d forgotten! Kurapika had spent the morning with _him._ Had the note been there when he left? There hadn’t been one in the morning yet. They’d all happened in the evening. If it wasn’t there then they had a timeline!

He sprang to his door and jerked it open. Hisoka had gone to his apartment at some point (thankfully) and the breezeway was empty. Leorio took the two steps required to get to Kurapika’s door and rapped his knuckles against it.

It took less than a minute for Kurapika to open the door. His boyfriend’s face lit in a handsome smile that distracted him for a moment. He shook his head to clear his mind and stepped properly into the apartment. The boys were in the living room scrolling through a list of movies at the theater. 

“Hey,” Leorio tugged on Kurapika’s hand and guided him into the kitchen and away from the boys’ ears, “did you take the front door or the deck to get back here this morning?”

Kurapika cheeks turned the slightest bit pink. “The front door? Would you rather-“

He shook his head to cut that wrong train of thought off. “Nothing like that. At all. Was there a note there?”

Kurapika face went carefully neutral. “Ah. No. There wasn’t anything there when I left.”

“Seven? That’s when you left?”

Kurapika’s eyes darted to where Gon and Killua were. He nodded and squeezed Leorio’s hands. “Seven-thirty.” 

So three hours. Three hours between when Kurapika had left and when-

Had they seen Kurapika? Had they waited for that? It was immediately a _horrible_ thought and one he couldn’t shove away. It felt predatorial and obvious. 

_Careful who you love._

Was it a threat or a warning?

“Leorio?” The neutral expression was replaced with worry. “What was the note?”

“Hey,” Leorio called to the boys instead of answering right away, “how’re you two gettin’ to the theater?”

“Mels.” Killua answered in a mildly bored tone. “You don’t have to worry. You’ll be free to be nasty in about ten minutes.”

“Nasty?” Gon immediately asked with a curious tilt of his head. “What’s that-” Killua plastered his hand over Gon’s lips with a scowl.

“No. Just… No.” 

Gon stared at him, eyes going crinkly at the corners in a way that meant he was smiling widely. Killua’s hand stayed in place but his cheeks turned pinker with every passing second. 

“Stop smiling, idiot.” He finally muttered, dropping his hand with bright pink cheeks. Gon leaned forward and kissed his nose and aside from making Killua blush pinker, it made Leorio’s worry feel tighter in his chest. 

What if…

What if it hadn’t been meant for him?

Kurapika’s phone buzzed with a beautiful strain of flute that Leorio recognized from his first date with Kurapika. The blond fumbled for his phone where it was on the counter and thumbed it on. 

“Mels?” He listened to whatever was said on the other side and nodded. “Perfect. Come on up. I’ll have the door unlocked. Leorio and I will have to step away so-” He paused, blinked, and blushed a little. “Mels. Errands. Grocery shopping. Bills. Things like that.” 

“She’s here?” Killua scrambled off the couch, hand firmly wrapped around Gon’s, and moved towards the door. “Great! Tell her we’ll meet her at the car.” 

Had it been a threat to Gon? Was it not a generic photo?

“Never mind. They’re coming down to you. Yes, it’s a date.” Kurapika grinned even though the worry on his face didn’t really leave. “They’re holding hands and everything.”

Killua spun towards Kurapika and stuck his tongue out. Gon was entirely unfazed and simply gave Leorio a goodbye wave as he tugged the door open. 

“Thanks for breakfast! We’ll see you after our movie!” Gon shouted as he pulled Killua out the door. Leorio watched them go with the panic twisting tight all through his body. He felt a little sick. It was exactly like his first date and what if that postcard had been meant for Gon? What if it was a sick-

What was he doing? He couldn’t let them go in a _car!_

He dashed to the door and made it outside right as Gon and Killua jogged down the steps. Their excited chatter filled the air as they went, entirely unconcerned with things like diseases or car crashes. 

Melody was at the foot of the stairs. He could see her pick-up truck and somehow that made him pause. It wasn’t a car. It wasn’t the car in the photo. Kurapika wouldn’t let Killua go with her if it wasn’t safe. It had been on the list, hadn’t it? _I’m overly protective of Killua._

Kurapika caught his hand and pulled him back from the stairs. “Leorio? I don’t understand. What’s happening?”

“Sorry, I-” He motioned towards Kurapika’s apartment a little helplessly. “I just. The note. Kinda got in my head.” 

(His day had started off so wonderfully. He shouldn’t have gotten out of bed with Kurapika. He shouldn’t have let Kurapika leave. Pancakes weren’t worth this stress.)

Kurapika made a worried noise and led him back towards his apartment. He ushered Leorio through the door and shut it behind them. 

Kurapika slipped closer, cupping his cheek and peering up at him. “Do you want to head straight to the police or would you rather a cup of tea or something first?” 

“I don’t even know _why_ it has me so upset. The box had syringes from my hospital. The other note was a literal death threat. This was just…” He wrapped his hand around the hand Kurapika had on his cheek and leaned into it. “Tea would be nice.”

Nodding, Kurapika leaned up on his tip toes and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Leorio’s lips that made him feel like it might be possible to breathe normally again at some point.

“Thanks. Sorry-” Kurapika put a finger over his lips. 

“Don’t apologize.” He tapped Leorio’s lips and strode to the stove. He turned the burner on for the tea and pulled a mug off the rack. “If I ever find out who has done this,” he set the mug down harder than he needed to, “it won’t end well for them.” 

He hadn’t really imagined Kurapika as dangerous but now, watching the tight line of his shoulders and the stiff way he was standing, he could imagine Kurapika and his focused anger being something very dangerous. Kurapika was calculating and if that brilliance and loyalty was mixed with rage. 

Yikes.

Leorio didn’t answer. He pulled the postcard back out of his bag and stared at it for a moment while Kurapika continued to bustle around readying their tea. It wasn’t a particularly fancy car. Something that looked middle or working class. Non descript. Something you could see in passing and not notice and easily forget. Kinda old in style as well. 

There wasn’t any manufacturer logo that he could see so it wouldn’t be easy to google the model or make. 

“Leorio,” Kurapika called. He glanced up to see his boyfriend peering at him with undisguised worry. How many times today had Kurapika called his name and he hadn’t noticed? He had to snap out of this daze. If something bad did happen he probably wouldn’t even notice at this rate.

“Yeah?” 

Kurapika set the mug in front of him and moved around the counter so they were next to each other again. He stared up at Leorio for a second before grabbing the edge of the counter and scrambling up it in an ungainly pile until he was seated on the edge. It put them at roughly the same eyeline. His boyfriend’s hands curved around his elbows, urging him to stand between Kurapika’s legs. Once Leorio was standing there, Kurapika looped his arms around his neck. 

“I’m here,” He murmured in a soft voice that made Leorio’s gut clench with want. Not in a sexual way. It was an _intense_ longing to lean against Kurapika and just… just be safe. To not have to think or stress or plan. To just be held and guarded. 

Kurapika leaned up and kissed him and Leorio _melted_ into the sensation. He didn’t register dropping the postcard or cupping Kurapika’s cheeks. He just needed to be holding him and _oh,_ it was what he’d wanted. The tension in his body was pushed away, forgotten for a wonderful moment as he relaxed into the comforting touch and just _breathed._

It might have been two minutes or it might have been ten. He had no real idea and didn’t particularly care. He stayed in Kurapika’s space for another moment, just inhaling the same air, and pressed two more tender kisses to Kurapika’s lips before retreating.

“Thank you.” He murmured, feeling a little strangely shy. 

Kurapika’s fingers brushed through his hair. “Any time.” He inhaled as though coming back to himself. “Now, do you want to talk or-”

Leorio watched in confusion as Kurapika’s eyes landed on the discarded postcard and all the color drained out of his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliff hangers twice in a row! :O


End file.
